mmmmmimimmammmmu^ 


SmWORLDlAROUGft 

WoMAH's  Eyes 

BV  JESSIE  A.  ACKEHMANN 


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«4 


LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
CARROLL  PURSELL 


THE  WORLD  THROUGH  A 
WOMAN^S  EYES  c^  BY  JESSIE 
A,  ACKERMANN  e^.^  INTRO- 
DUCTION BY  WILLIAM  E. 
CURTISc^c^ILLUSTRATED,^^ 


CHICAGO 

^  1896  Jt 


//<  7/^/^92^ 


Copyright,  1896, 

BY 
j:eSSIE   A.  ACKERMANN. 

All  Rights  Reserved. 


..TO.. 

RICHARD  HENRY  PRATT 

Captain  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  U.  S.  A.,  and  Superintendent  of  the 

INDIAN  INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL 
Carlisle,  Pennsylvania 

The  Projector  and  Founder  of  the  Greatest 
EDUCATIONAL  AND  INDIVIDUALIZING  ENTERPRISE 

In  the  World 

And  to  the  Students  of  that  School,  this  Volume  is  Dedicated 

with  the  hope  that  the  great  possibilities  of  the  Red 

Man  may  become  better  known  and  a  deeper 

interest    awakened  in    the    first 

natives  of  our  land. 


PREFACE. 


Happily,  the  day  has  passed  when  it  was  the 
fashion  for  authors  to  apologize  for  their  printed 
works.  If  a  book  has  no  reason  for  being,  no  num- 
ber of  apologies  can  make  it  acceptable  ;  if  it  has  a 
right  to  existence,  no  apology  for  it  is  necessary,  it 
is  left  to  those  who  may  glance  through  these  pages 
to  determine  to  which  class  this  little  volume  belongs. 

A  word  of  explanation  is,  however,  due  to  both 
reader  and  writer.  Most  of  the  papers  comprised  in 
this  book  appeared  in  the  Ladies'  Home  Companion 
during  the  year  1895.  ^^  were  penned  under  numer- 
ous diflSculties  of  time  and  place,  and  with  no  attempt 
at  literary  finish.  In  short,  they  are  simply  a  series 
of  rambling  notes  culled  from  many  chapters  in  a 
rambling  life.  I^et  the  sensible  reader  take  it  for 
granted  that  the  author  would  cheerfully  agree  with 
him  in  changing  whatever  he  'would  alter,  and  in 
leaving  out  whatever  he  would  omit. 

No  mention  is  made  in  these  pages  of  the  great 
island  continent  of  Australia,  where  the  author  spent 
much  time.  To  present  anything  approaching  an 
adequate  picture  of  this  wonderful  land  a  whole  vol- 
ume would  be  necessary.  Such  a  work  the  author 
has  now  in  course  of  leisurely  preparation,  and  in  due 
season  hopes  to  submit  it  to  the  public  eye. 

Chicago^  III.  ^  January,  i8g6. 


INTRODUCTORY, 


This  volume  illustrates  what  a  woman  who  wills 
can  do.  While  we  would  not  like  to  have  our  wives 
and  mothers  and  sisters  and  daughters  alwa5'S  going 
about  the  earth,  it  is  a  source  of  genuine  satisfaction 
to  have  it  demonstrated  that  they  can,  if  they  care  to 
do  so.  It  marks  an  epoch,  too,  in  the  science  of 
travel,  as  well  as  in  the  progress  of  womanhood  when 
a  girl  like  Miss  Ackermann  encircles  the  globe,  and 
visits  each  continent  and  archipelago  and  island  to 
learn  what  other  women  are  doing,  and  how  they  are 
getting  on  in  the  succession  of  labor  and  leisure, 
smiles  and  sadness,  coming  and  going  that  we  call 
life.  It  isn't  a  very  big  world,  although  it  looks 
enormous  upon  the  map,  and  cheerful  and  thoughtful 
men  and  women  will  find  friends  and  pleasures  and 
opportunities  for  usefulness  everywhere.  Nor  is  there 
much  peril  in  traveling.  More  people  are  knocked 
down  by  bicycles  and  run  over  by  cable  and  trolley 
cars  in  our  cities  annually  than  are  killed  in  railway 
accidents  or  lost  at  sea.  Nevertheless  it  takes  cour- 
age and  ability  to  cut  the  cords  of  conventionality 
and  sail  away  in  any  direction  that  is  unknown. 

One  might  use  large  adjectives  and  long  sentences 
to  describe  such  undertakings  as  this  young  Ameri- 
can woman  has  accomplished  if  she  had  not  told  it  so 
well  herself.     The  privilege  of  writing  an  introduc- 

9 


I O  I  NT  ROD  UCTOR  Y. 

tion  to  this  volume  included  permission  to  say  any- 
thing I  pleased,  and  therefore  I  take  the  liberty, 
without  her  knowledge,  to  disclose  some  secrets  about 
the  author  that  I  am  sure  will  add  to  its  interest  and 
value. 

At  once  after  graduation  Miss  Ackermann  entered 
the  Temperance  Mission  Work,  and  was  sent  to  estab- 
lish life-saving  stations  in  Alaska.  From  that  field 
she  came  as  a  delegate  to  the  great  National  Conven- 
tion that  was  held  in  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House 
of  New  York,  in  1888,  and  was  there  appointed  a 
Round-the- World  Missionary  of  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union. 

There  have  been  women  travelers  before,  but  I 
know  of  none  who  have  made  so  extended  and  sys- 
tematic a  journey,  or  brought  back  so  valuable  and 
interesting  a  fund  of  information.  In  the  early  days 
of  the  Conquest  a  young  Spanish  nun  came  over  the 
sea,  and  carried  the  story  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and 
the  Christ  Child  to  the  savage  tribes  in  all  the  dark 
corners  of  South  America.  She  wore  a  rosary  at 
her  girdle,  and  carried  a  cross  in  her  hand,  and  left 
behind  her  an  aroma  of  sweetness  and  light  that 
was   like  a  benediction. 

In  her  travels,  Miss  Ackermann  wore  the  white 
ribbon  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  and  with  simple,  gentle 
eloquence  made  the  purpose  of  that  organization 
known  along  a  trail  that  measures  200,000  miles. 
She  held  1,417  meetings,  delivered  870  lectures  and 
made  447  informal  addresses.  She  spoke  the  gospel 
of    temperance    and    purity    upon    41    steamers   and 


IN  TROD  UCTOR  Y.  1 1 

vessels  of  war,  and  in  182  pulpits  ;  she  visited  1,140 
Sunday-schools,  176  day  schools  and  69  Bands  of 
Hope  ;  initiated  647  Good  Templars,  fastened  white 
ribbons  upon  8,479  breasts,  and  she  received  the 
pledges  of  7,460  men.  She  wrote  5,949  letters,  420 
newspaper  articles,  220  letters  to  home  papers,  printed 
60,000  leaflets  and  2,000  manuals,  and  raised  $8,976, 
which  she  expended  in  her  work  as  she  journeyed  on. 
This  might  have  been  the  labor  of  a  lifetime,  but 
Miss  Ackermann  crowded  it  into  six  short  years. 

Those  who  have  seen  the  Southern  Cross,  hanging 
like  a  cluster  of  jewels  in  the  Antarctic  heavens,  and 
have  celebrated  the  Fourth  of  July  upon  an  iceberg, 
know  that  the  greatest  benefit  of  travel  is  to  teach  the 
blessings  of  our  own  country. 

There  is  sunshine  and  happiness  everywhere,  but 
it  hasn't  been  equally  distributed,  and  there  is  a 
very  truthful  little  couplet  which  a  Buddhist  priest 
in  Japan  once  quoted  to  me  : 

"  Go  East  or  West, 
But  Home  is  best." 

The  loveliest  music  I  ever  heard  was  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home,"  played  by  a  band  upon  the  bridge  of  a 
battleship  in  the  Mediterranean,"  and  the  most  beau- 
tiful sight  I  ever  witnessed  was  "  Old  Glory  "  floating 
from  the  topmast  of  a  little  steamer  fifteen  thousand 
miles  from  Washington. 

William  Blroy  Curtis. 


CONTENTS. 


AIvASKA. 
Chapter  Page 

I.     Some  Remarks  ou  English-Speaking  Women  ....     17 

II.     The  Women  of  Alaska 23 

III.     Alaskan  Dress  and  Customs 37 

THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

I.     A  Land  of  Many  Charms 43 

II.     The  Last  King  of  the  Islands 52 

III.     The  Leper  Colony. — Robert  Louis  Stevenson   ....    61 

NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

I.     From  Auckland  to  Wellington 71 

II.     The  "  Model  Prison  "  at  Port  Arthur 87 

JAPAN. 

I.     The  Mikado. — ^Japanese  Characteristics 99 

II.     A  Glimpse  of  Native  Life 109 

III.  Woman's  Education  in  Japan 118 

IV.  "  The  Trail  of  the  Serpent." 122 

CHINA. 

I.  First  Impressions  of  the  Flowery  Kingdom 129 

II.  Up  River  in  a  House- Boat 140 

III.  From  Swatow  to  Shanghai 151 

IV.  A  Missionary  Conference. — An  Opium  Palace   ....  160 

SIAM. 

I.     A  Riot  at  Sea. — Arrival  at  Bangkok 170 

II.     Priests  and  People 177 

III.  The  Sleeping  Buddha 182 

IV.  The  Lord  of  the  White  Elephant 188 

13 


14  CONTENTS. 

JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 

Page 

I.     The  Grand  Temple  of  Java 195 

11.  A  Glance  at  Singapore. — The  Sultan  of  Jahore    .    .    .204 

III.  From  Singapore  to  Mandalay 209 

IV.  The  Pagoda  at  Rangoon.— Sacred  Mountain  Caves  .  218 

INDIA. 

I.  To  the  Bottom  of  the  Sea 223 

II.  Sights  in  Calcutta  and  Benares  .    .        227 

III.  Peshawar  and  the  Khyber  Pass 234 

IV.  The  Taj  Mahal.— Indian  Widows 247 

AFRICA. 

I.     Killing  Time  on  Shipboard 257 

II.     Ascent    of    Table     Mountains. — Johannesburg     to 

Queenstown 263 

III.  At  Home  with  the  Author  of  "  The  Story  of  an  Afri- 

can Farm." 273 

IV.  A  Ramble  Over  the  Schreiner  Homestead 283 

V.     Olive  Schreiner's  Mother 293 

VI.     Theo.  Schreiner  and  His  Sister,  Mrs.  Lewis  .....  298 

ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

1.     A  Japanese  Funeral 303 

II.     Queer  Ways  of  Showing  Grief  in  China 307 

III.     Disposal  of  the  Dead  in  Siam  and  India 316 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Pagb 

An  Alaskan  Home 29 

A  Woman  of  South  Alaska 36 

Avenue  of  Royal  Palms,  Honolulu 47 

King's  Palace,  Honolulu 53 

Kalakaua,  Queen  Emma,  Queen  Liliuokalani 57 

Samoan  Girl 57 

Samoans  Preparing  Food 67 

Squatter's  Home,  New  Zealand 73 

Shearing-shed,  New  Zealand 78 

Taking  Wool  to  Station,  New  Zealand 84 

View  on  the  Durwent,  Tasmania 90 

A  Tasmanian  View 93 

Ruins  at  Port  Arthur,  Tasmania 96 

Japanese  Sleeping  Apartment in 

Interior  of  Modern  Japanese  Home   ...            114 

A  Japanese  Lady 124 

Miss  Ackermann  in  Oriental  Costume 146 

The  Sleeping  Buddha,  Siara 183 

The  Garden  of  the  Palace,  Siam      189 

A  Javanese  Home I97 

Javanese  Fruit  Woman  and  a  Javanese  Child 201 

Sumatra  Woman 21  r 

A  Burmese  Girl 215 

Serampore  College,  Scene  of  Carey's  Labors 230 

Traveling  in  Bombay 235 

Elephant  Traveling 240 

Traveling  by  Ekka  in  Cashmere 241 

Tomb  at  Lahore 245 

Taj-Mahal 249 

15 


1 6  ILL  USTRA  TIONS. 

Page 
Pundita  Ramabai,  Friend  of  the  Indian  Widow,  and  Soon- 

derbai  Powai,  Anti-Opium  Agitator 253 

A  Scene  in  South  Africa 268 

Olive  Schreiner    .... 276 

Fish  River,  Schreiner  Farm 280 

Discovering  a  Nest  of  Ostrich  Eggs 285 

A  Hottentot  Hut 289 

Burning  the  Dead  in  India 312 

A  Parsee  Tower  of  Silence      321 


ALASKA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOME   REMARKS   ON    ENGI.ISH-SPEAKING   WOMEN. 

|HIS  chapter,  though  seemingly  irrelevant  to 
the  narrative  of  my  wanderings  in  far-oflf 
lands,  is  penned  with  a  distinct  object  in 
view.  What  this  object  is  will  shortly  be  made  ap- 
parent to  the  patient  reader. 

Woman  has  always  been  an  object  of  interest, 
doubtless  because  she  "dates  so  far  back."  In  all 
ages,  men  have  tried  to  tell,  in  story  and  song,  the 
charms,  graces  and  virtues  of  woman.  We  can 
scarcely  turn  over  a  page  of  ancient  or  modern  liter- 
ature without  reading  her  praises. 

Someone  has  said,  "God's  last,  best  and  greatest 
gift  to  the  first  man  was  woman  ; ' '  and  another, 

"  The  earth  was  sad,  the  garden  was  a  wild  ; 
And  man,  the  hermit,  sighed,  till  woman  smiled." 

I  have  seen  somewhere,  a  word  picture  of  the  first 
man.  He  paced  the  garden  up  and  down  ;  walked 
beside  the  rippling  stream  ;  listened  to  the  music  of 
the  wind  among  the  rustling  leaves,  and  the  song  of 
the  wild  bird ;  but  his  soul  was  not  satisfied,  and  to 
complete  Creation  was  wrought  a  masterpiece — 
"God's  last,  best  and  greatest  gift  to  the  first  man." 


1 8  ALASKA. 

These  are  beautiful  tributes  to  "  the  sex  whose 
presence  civilizes  man,"  as  Cowper  has  it ;  but  how 
few  of  us  realize  that  such  sentiments  have  signifi- 
cance for  about  only  one-fourth  of  the  women  of  the 
world  ! 

English-speaking  women  are  the  recipients  of  more 
courtesy  and  greater  civility  than  those  of  any  other 
race  or  tongue.  We  meet  a  gentleman,  and  as  a 
mark  of  respect  he  bares  his  head — we  expect  him  to 
do  it.  We  enter  a  crowded  room  or  car,  and  a  gen- 
tleman at  once  rises  to  give  us  his  seat.  It  is  ac- 
cepted— sometimes  without  rendered  thanks,  I  am 
sorry  to  say, — as  a  matter  of  course,  a  courtesy  due 
our  sex.  Yet  with  all  this  deference  shown  us,  and 
all  manner  of  attentions  bestowed  upon  us,  there  are 
really  few  contented  English-speaking  women.  We 
are  alway  longing  to  be  something  we  are  not ;  reach- 
ing for  things  just  beyond  our  grasp  ;  trying  to  climb 
to  heights  we  can  never  attain.  This  longing,  yearn- 
ing, climbing,  or  trying  to  climb,  has  led  to  a  great 
unrest  among  womankind.  The  air  is  electric  with  it, 
and  in  these  days  it  has  taken  the  form  of  the  "  New 
Woman."  Next  will  come  the  "New  Girl";  with 
these  developments  the  "Old  Man"  and  the  "Old 
Boy  "  will  have  a  lively  chase  to  keep  up  with  woman 
in  the  race  of  life.  The  outgrowth  of  all  this  "reach- 
ing out ' '  seems  to  be  an  increasing  discontent  among 
women, 

I  have  just  completed  a  second  tour  of  the  world. 
It  covered  a  period  of  six  years,  and  during  this  time 
I  traveled  the  great  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 


ALASKA.  19 

thousand  miles.  I  was  a  guest  in  nearly  two  thou- 
sand homes ;  all  kinds  of  homes,  rich  and  poor,  high 
and  low — from  the  palace,  government  house  and 
castle  to  the  thatched  cot  of  the  sturdy  farmer,  the 
canvas  or  tin  tent  of  the  miner,  and  the  bark  hut  of 
the  lumber  camp.  I  have  seen  life  in  all  its  varied 
forms,  and  under  every  condition,  and  I  have  found 
few  really  contented  women,  so  few  that  they  could 
be  counted  on  my  fingers. 

What  is  the  matter  with  these  women,  do  you  ask  ? 
Everything.  Let  me  illustrate.  I  go  to  one  house 
where  everything  is  beautiful  and  lovely.  Surely,  I 
think,  this  must  be  a  "heaven  to  go  to  heaven  in." 
After  I  have  been  there  a  few  days  I  express  my 
appreciation  of  my  surroundings.  "  What  a  pleasant 
home  you  havel"  I  say.  The  good  woman  is  fully 
conscious  that  little  could  be  added,  either  of  comfort 
or  adornment,  and  she  replies,  ' '  Yes,  I  can  have  any- 
thing I  want  for  my  home  ;  I  sometimes  think  I  never 
have  a  chance  to  express  a  wish  concerning  it ;  every 
want  is  anticipated." 

Here  she  draws  a  long  breath  and  continues,  "  But 
you  know  it  takes  more  than  a  house  to  make  a 
woman  happy.  I  don't  suppose  you  ever  heard — no,  I 
don't  suppose  you  have — but  my  husband — well,  all 
I  have  to  say  is,  if  you  know  when  you  are  well  off, 
don't  ever  marry."  With  this  woman  I  found  the 
house  perfect,  but  the  husband  a  little  wrong.  I  take 
her  advice  and  go  on  my  way. 

The  next  house  in  which  I  am  a  guest  is  a  small, 
six-room  cottage.    The  woman  seems  perfectly  happy, 


20  ALASKA. 

for  she  has  the  ' '  loveliest  husband  ! ."  She  thinks 
the  Lord  never  created  but  just  one  man,  and  he  is 
hers.  All  his  virtues  are  enumerated  ;  she  tells  how 
he  is  the  "  chief  pillar  and  prop  in  every  good  enter- 
prise," and  proceeds  to  give  me  a  little  advice,  which 
I  do  not  take.  "  If  there  is  another  man  in  the  world 
like  my  husband,  I  should  say  '  Get  married  to-mor- 
row.' "  But  she,  too,  heaves  a  deep  sigh,  and  fairly 
wails  out  "It's  an  awful  thing,  though,  to  be  com- 
pelled to  live  in  a  small  house.  When  I  was  a  girl 
we  had  plenty  of  room,  but  here  we  cannot  have  even 
one  guest.  We  wanted  to  entertain  you,  but  really 
had  no  place  to  put  you  ;  it  is  almost  like  living  in  a 
hen-coop."  Here  the  husband  is  almost  perfect — just 
faults  enough  to  class  him  as  a  human  being — but  the 
house  !     Oh,  the  house  ! 

My  observations  have  not  been  confined  to  these 
abodes.  One  day  I  am  being  entertained  in  a  lovely 
home,  where  I  am  the  guest  of  a  most  gifted  woman. 
Seeing  she  has  large  means  and  special  talents,  I  try 
to  interest  her  in  some  department  of  Christian  work, 
but  she  exclaims,  "  For  goodness  sake  don't  ask  me 
to  do  anything  outside  of  my  house  1  Do  you  know  I 
have  ten  children?"  I  told  the  good  woman  I  was 
fully  aware  of  this  fact,  and  reminded  her  of  the  six 
servants.  Her  reply  filled  me  with  thanksgiving  that 
I  have  never  had  six  servants  to  manage.  "Yes,  but 
the  servants  are  worse  than  the  children  ;  between 
them  I  have  no  peace  of  mind  or  rest  of  body  !  It 
takes  me  half  my  time  to  keep  the  coachman  from 
fussing  with  the  gardener,  and  the  other  half  to  settle 


ALASfCA.  21 

disputes  between  the  cook  and  housemaids.  Don't 
ask  me  to  do  anything  outside  of  my  house  !  " 

I  leave  this  poor  soul,  burdened  with  the  care  of  ten 
children  and  the  direction  of  six  servants,  and  tarry  in 
the  house  of  a  sad-faced  woman  who  has  neither 
"chick  nor  child  "  upon  which  to  bestow  her  tender 
care.  She  goes  into  the  yard,  looks  over  the  fence, 
and  sees  these  ten  romping,  laughing,  happy  children. 
In  despair  she  exclaims,  "Well,  husband,  how  do  j^ou 
account  for  it  that  the  neighbors  have  all  the  blessings 
in  life,  and  we  have  none?  "  In  one  house  it  is  too 
many  children,  in  the  other  it  is  no  children,  and 
neither  of  the  women  is  satisfied. 

The  greatest  curiosity  in  the  form  of  a  discontented 
woman  remains  yet  to  be  described.  She  was  of  the 
"  New  Woman  "  order.  Her  family  consisted  of  two 
beautiful  children  and  "a  most  desirable  husband." 
She  was  interested  in  my  travels,  the  work  and  the 
world  generally.  After  a  short  conversation  with  her, 
she  clasped  her  hands  and  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  what  a 
career  ;  how  lovelj'  it  must  be  !  Do  you  know  I  have 
always  felt  I  should  have  had  a  mission  in  the  world  ; 
this  housekeeping  is  such  a  tame  life!  " 

Just  think  of  a  woman  with  a  husband  and  two 
children  looking  for  a  mission  !  If  I  had  only  the 
husband,  I  should  think  I  had  the  biggest  mission  on 
earth.  I  would  never  look  for  a  greater.  A  woman 
with  home,  husband  and  children  looking  for  a  mis- 
sion in  this  world  is  far  beyond  my  limited  powers  of 
comprehension. 


22  ALASKA. 

I  have  tried  to  illustrate  from  my  observations  the 
discontented  state  of  women  who  enjoy  privileges  and 
opportunities  unknown  to  so  large  a  portion  of  our 
sex.  If  every  English-speaking  woman  could  leave 
her  country,  and  go  through  the  lands  where  woman 
exists  only  as  a  slave,  or,  at  most,  as  a  "necessary 
evil,"  I  am  sure  she  would  return  contented  with  her 
lot.  She  would  not  pray  for  greater  opportunities, 
but  for  "  much  wisdom  "  to  make  the  best  use  of  those 
she  has. 

We  of  America  need  not  leave  our  own  shores  to 
contrast  our  happy  condition  with  the  position  of  our 
less  favored  sisters.  It  is  only  because  of  the  broader 
range  of  vision  that  has  come  to  us  in  these  last  years 
that  woman  in  some  parts  of  our  own  country  has 
been  released  from  the  degradation  of  slavery,  and 
elevated  to  the  dignity  of  womanhood.  In  this  en- 
lightened day  we  are  astonished  that  our  higher  civil- 
ization has  not  made  itself  felt  in  the  release  of  the 
women  of  the  far  North — Alaska — from  a  slavery 
which  means  not  only  controlling  the  labor  of  their 
hands,  but  a  right  to  sell  or  rent  their  bodies. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   WOMEN   OF   ALASKA. 

|T  IS  only  of  recent  date  that  Alaska  has  been 
open  to  travelers — that  is,  that  there  have 
been  easy  facilities  for  getting  there.  But 
the  wonders  of  the  country,  when  once  they  became 
known,  created  a  demand  for  modern  means  of  travel, 
and  now  the  journey  can  be  taken,  as  far  north  as 
Sitka,  the  capital,  with-  quite  a  degree  of  comfort. 
The  country  belonged  to  Russia  until  1867,  when  it 
was  purchased  by  the  United  States,  and  with  true 
Yankee  enterprise  was  opened  up  by  the  Government. 
It  has  now  become  one  of  the  famous  resorts  of  the 
Northwest. 

Some  years  ago  I  undertook  a  journey  to  this 
"Wonderland"  of  the  North  American  continent  in 
the  interests  of  Christian  work.  It  is  not  my  inten- 
tion to  attempt  the  portrayal  of  the  physical  attrac- 
tions of  this  marvelous  region  ;  the  task  has  been 
performed  by  abler  pens  than  mine.  I  shall  only  say 
that  if  anyone  wants  to  see  the  master-stroke  of  crea- 
tion, in  the  form  of  natural  beauty,  let  him  go  to 
Alaska.  In  no  other  part  of  the  world  can  be  seen 
combined,  as  here,  the  beauty  of  the  Alps,  the  gla- 
ciers of  Norway,  the  cataracts  and  cascades  of  the 

Yosemite,  and  the  towering  grandeur  of  the  Rockies. 

23 


^4  ALASKA. 

And  yet,  alas,  in  no  other  part  of  the  world  can  be 
found  women  more  degraded  than  those  who  live 
amid  these  scenes  of  God's  most  wonderful  handiwork. 
In  some  respects  their  condition  is  even  worse  than 
that  of  the  women  in  many  parts  of  Asia. 

In  the  Yukon  districts  women  have  so  awakened  to 
a  sense  of  their  own  degradation  that  many  an  Indian 
mother  to  save  her  daughter  from  her  own  wretched 
condition  throws  her  away  in  infancy.  These  help- 
less innocents  are  taken  to  the  woods,  their  mouths 
filled  with  grass,  and  left  to  die.  The  girl  children 
who  are  allowed  to  live  meet  with  a  worse  fate  than 
that  of  being  choked  to  death  with  grass.  Often, 
while  still  infants,  they  are  given  away  to  their  future 
husbands  ;  or,  if  kept  at  home  until  they  are  ten  or 
twelve  years  of  age,  they  are  sold  for  a  few  blankets 
or  merchandise.  About  this  age  a  girl  is  supposed  to 
reach  womanhood,  and  is  regarded  unfit  to  mingle 
with  the  family.  She  is  confined  in  a  dark  room, 
sometimes  for  a  year,  but  in  some  sections  for  only 
three  months,  and  is  seen  by  no  one  but  her  mother. 
On  emerging  from  this  long  confinement  her  lower 
lip  is  pierced,  and  a  bone  or  ivory  ornament  inserted, 
very  much  as  Tamil  women  pierce  their  ears  and 
draw  the  lobe  down  with  heavy  metals. 

While  still  young  the  poor  creature  often  undergoes 
the  painful  process  of  tattooing.  As  in  all  barbarous 
countries,  this  is  considered  a  great  adornment.  The 
colors  used  in  Alaska  are  red,  blue  and  sometimes 
black ;  but  the  process  differs  from  that  of  other 
countries.     Instead  of  pricking  it  in  with  a  needle,  or 


ALASKA.  25 

after  the  new  device  of  the  Japanese,  by  stamping, 
the  colors  are  sewn  in,  usually  on  the  chin,  though  I 
have  seen  it  on  the  cheeks  and  breast.  They  also 
have  a  fashion  of  painting  their  faces  with  black 
paint  ;  this  gives  them  a  most  hideous  look. 

In  the  streets  of  Juneau — the  largest  town  in  the 
territory — I  passed  a  number  of  women  sitting  in  a 
row  against  the  side  of  a  house.  Their  faces  were  all 
painted  black.  I  supposed  this  was  their  means  of 
preserving  the  skin,  but  was  told  it  was  done  to  make 
them  attractive  and  beautiful.  They  were  also  be- 
decked with  cheap,  showy  jewelry,  made  of  silye-, 
bone  or  copper  wire.  If  civilized  women  wish  to  be 
eflfectually  cured  of  the  barbarous  custom  of  wearing 
jewelry,  they  should  see  heathen  women  bedecked 
and  bespangled  with  all  manner  of  tawdry  decora- 
tions, which,  after  all,  is  only  the  same  love  for  dis- 
play that  characterizes  so  large  a  number  of  women 
of  whom  we  should  expect  better  things.  After  see- 
ing women  with  their  ears,  lips,  nose  and  chin  bored, 
their  toes  adorned  with  rings,  and  their  ankles 
weighed  down  with  small  hoops  of  bells,  they  would 
soon  rise  above  the  barbarism  of  boring  their  ears 
and  wearing  jewelry,  both  of  which  are  a  relic  of  pri- 
meval savagery. 

These  women  of  Juneau  had  their  ears  pierced  from 
the  upper  part  of  the  outer  rim  down  to  the  very 
bottom.  There  were  as  many  as  a  half  dozen  orna- 
ments in  each  ear.  In  addition  to  these  a  large  silver 
hoop  dangled  over  the  mouth,  suspended  from  the 
pierced  nose.     The  lower  lip  did  not  escape,  but  came 


26  ALASKA. 

in  for  a  portion  of  adornment.  Inserted  into  the 
pierced  lip,  with  one  end  held  between  the  teeth,  was 
a  piece  of  ivory,  silver  or  bone,  which  they  removed 
and  offered  for  sale. 

The  inhuman  cruelties  imposed  upon  them  in  child- 
hood, and  the  utter  lack  of  regard  on  the  part  of  the 
men  for  all  that  goes  to  make  up  pure  womanhood, 
increases  as  they  grow  older,  until  the  oppression  be- 
comes almost  unbearable.  The  estimation  in  which 
they  are  held  by  men  has  been  voiced  by  one  of  the 
chiefs,  who  said,  "  Women  are  made  to  labor ;  one  of 
them  can  haul  as  much  as  two  men  can.  They  pitch 
our  tents  and  mend  our  clothing." 

On  the  Upper  Yukon  a  man  buys  his  wives  just  as 
a  white  man  buys  his  cattle.  If  he  has  wood  to  cut 
or  haul,  or  much  heavy  labor  to  perform,  he  increases 
the  number  of  wives  instead  of  purchasing  beasts  of 
burden.  They  are  regarded  from  the  stand-point  of 
"  a  good  investment,"  and  only  such  care  is  bestowed 
upon  them  as  will  prevent  a  "  depreciation  of  value," 
or  keep  them  up  to  the  best  service,  which,  of  course, 
means  the  heaviest  labor. 

In  times  of  war,  the  men  captured  are  usually 
killed,  but  the  lives  of  the  women  are  spared  ;  they 
have  a  value  in  the  labor  market.  They  sometimes 
fall  to  the  ownership  of  men  who  are  most  unmerciful 
in  their  treatment  of  them.  A  master's  power  over 
them  is  unlimited ;  it  is  often  a  dying  command  that 
several  slaves  shall  be  killed  that  he  may  have  some 
one  to  wait  on  him  in  the  next  world. 

The  most  inhuman  treatment  these  women  have  to 


ALASKA.  27 

bear  is  to  be  cast  out  of  their  houses  at  a  time  when 
they  should  have  the  tenderest  care,  and  suffer  alone 
tne  most  awful  agony  known  to  woman.  Frequently 
both  the  mother  and  child  die  from  neglect. 

The  word  ' '  home ' '  is  unknown  to  these  people.  The 
nearest  approach  to  it  is  "house  ";  hence,  they  know 
nothing  about  home  life.  To  my  mind  the  most  de- 
plorable condition  that  surrounds  them  is  the  lack  of 
home  life.  On  the  home  life  depends  the  development 
of  the  people.  This  important  fact  is  often  lost  sight 
of  in  our  efforts  in  Christian  work.  I  once  took  a 
poor,  wretched  drunkard  by  the  hand,  and  asked  her 
to  sign  the  pledge.  She  said,  "It  is  no  use,  if  I  must 
go  back  again  to  where  I  came  from."  I  asked  her 
where  she  lived,  and  her  reply  was,  "Come  and  see." 
I  went  with  her  to  the  most  wretched  place  I  have 
ever  entered  that  passed  for  a  home.  It  was  a  dark, 
chilly  night ;  we  reached  the  room  ;  she  struck  a 
match  and  lighted  a  candle  that  was  made  fast  in  the 
neck  of  an  old  bottle,  and  by  its  dim  light  I  could  see 
the  awful  surroundings,  scarcely  fit  to  stable  a  horse 
in.  She  sat  down  on  an  old  wooden  box,  and  the 
tears  came  to  her  eyes  as  she  said,  "  I^ive  here  for  five 
years,  and  you  will  be  a  drunkard,  too."  I  realized 
the  fact  that  the  woman  must  have  better  surround- 
ings before  she  could  become  better. 

If  we  are  ever  to  lead  these  people  to  a  higher  civil- 
ization, the  work  must  begin  in  improving  the  home. 
Home  life  would  soon  elevate  the  women  above  a 
slavery  so  degrading  that  they  themselves  feel  it. 

Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  in  his  wonderful  work  among 


28  ALASKA. 

these  people,  has  solved  the  problem.  Along  the 
coast,  just  out  of  Sitka  —  the  former  Russian  capital 
of  the  territory — is  a  native  village.  Here  the  people 
are  properly  housed,  and  the  children  attend  the  mis- 
sion school,  where  they  are  surrounded  by  home  influ- 
ences, and  see  much  of  home  life.  The  girls  are 
instructed  in  domestic  arts,  and  the  boys  apply  them- 
selves to  various  industries.  Another  village  has  been 
started  in  the  direction  of  Indian  river.  This  is  to  be 
a  settlement  for  the  young  people  who  marry  at  the 
school,  and  it  is  the  intention  to  keep  them  away  from 
the  village,  and  thus  prevent  a  return  to  their  former 
habits. 

Around  Juneau,  in  all  directions,  from  five  to  twenty 
miles  from  the  city,  are  numerous  gold  mines  now  in 
operation,  said  to  contain  deposits  of  great  and  almost 
untold  value.  I  decided  to  visit  a  certain  one  of  these 
mining  towns  before  I  was  fully  aware  of  the  means 
of  transit  involved  in  the  undertaking.  The  town  was 
situated  in  the  Great  Basin,  which  I  soon  learned  was 
accessible  only  by  a  mountain  trail  over  which  it  was 
impossible  for  a  horse  to  climb.  As  the  only  mule  at 
hand  was  said  to  have  been  thirty-eight  years  old  at 
the  time  of  the  purchase  of  the  territory  from  Russia 
(the  sale  including  this  venerable  quadruped),  I  de- 
cided that  my  reverence  for  antiquity  was  so  great  that 
rather  than  call  the  long-suffering  animal  into  requi- 
sition I  would  make  the  pilgrimage  on  foot,  which  I 
did. 

Our  party  made  an  early  start  ;  as  soon  as  the  first 


An  Alaskan  Home. 


ALASKA.  31 

gray  of  dawn  streaked  the  sky  we  were  really  on  the 
way.  The  absence  of  hotels  made  it  necessary  to  carry 
our  provisions,  even  to  a  suspicious  looking  jug — con- 
taining cold  tea.  We  were  laden  almost  like  camels. 
The  trail  led  us  over  the  mountains,  through  a  dense 
forest,  and  beyond  rushing  streams  and  dashing  water- 
falls that  seemed  to  sing  an  anthem  of  praise  to  the 
Most  High  as  they  hurried  on  to  swell  the  rolling  tide 
of  the  dark  blue  ocean.  We  sat  down  on  a  great  rock 
to  rest,  but  the  grandeur  of  the  surroundings  soon 
caused  us  to  forget  our  fatigue,  and  we  continued  to 
climb,  lost  to  everything  but  a  sense  of  the  vastness 
and  greatness  of  the  scenery.  We  finally  crossed  the 
mountain  and  reached  the  valley,  stopping  at  native 
huts  by  the  way.  These  houses  are  made  of  bark, 
sticks,  logs  and  such  material  as  can  be  gathered  and 
put  together  with  but  little  labor.  In  some  houses 
the  floor  is  planked,  and  a  bench  about  three  feet  high 
extends  around  three  sides  of  the  room ;  on  this  is 
placed  the  bedding  during  the  day. 

In  front  of  the  house  stands  a  totem-pole — an  im- 
mense timber  covered  with  carvings  of  the  faces  of 
animals,  which  represent  the  tribe  to  which  the  fam- 
ily belongs.  On  one  pole  can  be  seen  the  face  of  a 
whale,  a  raven,  a  wolf  and  an  eagle  ;  the  lowest  figure 
indicates  to  what  tribe  the  grandfather  of  the  occu- 
pant of  the  house,  on  his  mother's  side,  belongs. 
The  whole  forms  a  genealogical  record  of  the  family, 
the  child  taking  the  totem  of  the  mother.  Beside  the 
division  of  these  people  into  the  tribes,  they  are  sub- 
divided into  families,  each  of  which  has  its  badge,  or 


32  ALASKA. 

totem.  Members  of  the  same  tribe  may  marry,  but 
not  members  of  the  same  badge ;  a  whale  may  not 
marry  into  the  whale  family,  but  may  marry  into  that 
of  the  raven. 

The  first  house  we  entered  was  a  mere  pile  of  logs 
with  a  bark  roof ;  a  small  opening  in  the  side  served 
as  a  door,  but  the  structure  was  without  windows  or 
chimney.  In  the  roof  was  a  small  opening  through 
which  the  smoke  passed  out,  and  the  earth  served  as 
a  floor.  The  house  was  without  apartments,  and  the 
large  room  answered  all  the  purposes  of  kitchen,  bed- 
room and  sitting-room.  In  the  middle  of  the  room, 
under  the  opening  in  the  roof,  was  a  small  fire,  around 
which  sat  the  family,  and  I  should  say,  their  cousins, 
uncles  and  aunts,  for  they  live  in  a  very  promiscuous 
manner,  often  as  many  as  twenty  occupying  one 
room.  Among  the  rafters  hung  great  numbers  of 
fish  ;  the  curling  smoke,  as  it  made  its  way  upward, 
helped  prepare  them  for  use  in  winter. 

These  people  subsist  chiefly  on  berries  and  fresh 
fish  in  summer,  and  on  oil  and  dried  fish  in  winter. 
They  were  all  eating  fish  and  drinking  oil.  The  oil 
is  made  from  a  small  kind  of  fish,  caught  in  a  seine, 
and  pressed  while  alive  ;  it  is  then  placed  in  tin  cans 
and  kept  for  the  winter.  Of  this  oil  they  had  a  gen- 
erous supply  in  a  large  yellow  bowl.  A  good-sized 
ladle,  carved  from  yellow  cedar,  served  as  a  drinking- 
vessel.  This  was  dipped  into  the  oil,  and  passed 
from  one  to  another,  each  drinking  freely,  as  we 
would  of  tea  or  coffee.  The  next  meal,  without  the 
least  variation,  calls  the  family  together  again  ;  and 


ALASKA.  33 

this  gathering  around  the  smoky  fire,  sitting  on  the 
cold  ground,  eating  dried  fish  and  drinking  oil,  con- 
stitutes "home  life." 

In  these  places  adjacent  to  the  mines  women  are 
degraded  below  the  depths  of  their  native  surround- 
ings by  contact  with  the  mining  element.  Men 
hasten  to  mining  regions  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
They  are  either  single  men,  or  leave  their  families  be- 
hind them,  which  amounts  to  the  same  thing;  away 
from  home  influence  and  the  presence  of  women — ■ 
which  does  so  much  to  keep  men  from  degenerat- 
ing— they  often  sink  into  most  immoral  lives.  These 
men,  some  of  them  representing  the  lowest  type  of  our 
race,  go  to  the  parents  of  good-lopking  Indian  girls, 
and  offer  to  buy  them ;  or,  following  a  shocking  cus- 
tom that  prevails  among  these  people,  they  ofifer  to 
rent  them  for  a  year  or  two.  As  a  result  of  this  state 
of  affairs,  when  the  men  are  ready  to  "move  on"  to 
new  fields  they  leave  the  native  women,  often  with 
young  families,  wholly  unprovided  for. 

A  young  lady  from  the  United  States  was  a  passen- 
ger in  the  same  steamer  which  conveyed  me  to  the 
North.  She  was  a  bright  young  creature,  traveling 
alone.  We  sat  together  at  the  table,  and  during  the 
long  voyage  of  a  month  we  had  every  opportunity  of 
becoming  somewhat  acquainted.  This  led  to  her  tell- 
ing me  the  object  of  her  trip  to  the  territory.  For  a 
long  time  she  had  been  engaged  to  a  gentleman  who 
was  connected  with  mining  operations  in  Alaska 
which  took  him  there  for  a  few  months  each  season. 
He  was  expecting  to  return  South  in  a  short  time,  and 


34  ALASKA. 

the  young  lady  thought  she  would  take  the  trip,  see 
the  country,  surprise  him,  and  enjoy  the  journey 
home  with  him.  I  went  with  her  to  the  hotel  where 
she  expected  to  find  him.  Imagine  her  surprise  when 
we  were  directed  to  a  small  house  and  told  that  he 
lived  there  with  his  family.  For  some  years  he  had 
resided  there  during  the  season,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
he  was  going  South  to  marry  this  sweet  young 
woman.  Her  counsel  to  him  was,  "  Marry  the  native 
woman,  and  be  man  enough  to  take  care  of  your  chil- 
dren." 

Words  fail  to  express  what  the  native  women  of 
almost  every  country  suffer  at  the  hands  of  white  men 
who  go  to  their  shores  in  search  of  wealth,  or  to  fol- 
low business  pursuits.  Wherever  the  white  man  has 
planted  his  foot,  his  tracks  may  be  traced  in  the 
greater  degradation  of  the  native  women. 


A  Woman  of  South  Alaska. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ALASKAN   DRESS   AND   CUSTOMS. 

T  IS  impossible  to  say  what  the  original  dress 
of  these  people  was  when  Vistus  Behring 
discovered  them,  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago  ;  so  far  as  I  know,  an  account  has 
never  been  given.  It  is  but  natural  to  suppose  that 
in  the  far  North  their  attire  was  the  same  then  as  it 
is  now.  The  women  and  men  dress  alike  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  in  fur  throughout :  fur  trousers,  extending 
below  the  knees  ;  fur-lined  boots,  with  long  tops  ;  a 
fur  jacket,  reaching  down  halfway  between  the  waist 
and  knees  ;  a  fur-lined,  pointed  hood  over  their  heads. 
Thus  they  are  completely  enveloped  in  fur. 

In  lower  Alaska  the  manner  of  dress  is  very  dififer- 
ent.  In  those  more  accessible  parts,  where  the 
"ready-made  clothing"  store  has  found  its  way, 
they  have  largely  adopted  our  manner  of  dress — 
minus  shoes,  and  with  the  addition  of  blankets. 
Some  of  the  blankets  are  a  curiosity.  The  Chilcat 
blanket  and  shirt,  woven  by  the  women,  often  bring 
a  very  large  price  from  the  money- laden  tourists. 
These  are  a  bright  canary  color,  with  the  emblems  of 
the  country  woven  in  black.  The  women  are  most 
ingenious  in  their  devices  for  coloring  and  weaving, 
the  latter  being  done  entirely  by  hand.  The  fiber  is 
made  from  native  grasses,  dried  and  twisted  till  it 

37 


38  ALASKA. 

resembles  wool ;  this  is  then  woven  into  shirts  and 
blankets.  So  slow  is  the  process  that  many  months 
are  required  for  the  weaving  of  one  garment.  The 
dye  in  which  the  fiber  is  dipped  is  made  from  the 
roots  of  herbs  which  grow  in  that  country. 

Besides  the  weaving  of  blankets,  the  women  make 
hats,  mats  and  baskets.  These  are  straw  color,  with 
the  emblems  of  their  tribes  interwoven  in  different 
hues.  lyarge  numbers  are  sold  during  the  tourist 
season.  I  have  also  seen  the  women  at  work  mak- 
ing silver  or  bone  ornaments,  though  I  am  told  that 
most  of  the  silver  sold  as  specimens  of  Alaskan  work- 
manship is  really  made  in  other  parts  and  sent  there 
for  sale. 

The  women  participate  in  all  social  functions,  such 
as  feasts,  dances,  etc.  While  in  Juneau  we  learned 
that  there  was  to  be  a  dance  and  feast  near  by 
which  was  to  last  several  days  ;  so  we  decided  to  go 
and  see  what  their  idea  of  dancing  was.  The  people 
of  each  country  have  such  diflferent  ideas  of  what  con- 
stitutes "the  dance"  that  in  going  from  land  to  land 
one  hardly  knows  what  to  expect  when  it  is  an- 
nounced that  a  dance  is  going  on  ;  so  I  started  for 
this  with  little  idea  of  what  it  would  be  like. 

The  occasion  of  this  "merry-making"  was  the 
appointment  and  recognition  of  a  new  chief.  The 
old  chief  had  just  died,  and  the  young  one,  who  was 
to  "  reign  in  his  stead,"  must  allow  the  people  to  do 
him  honor  in  feast,  song  and  dance.  The  natives 
had  come  from  many  miles  around  ;  some  had  trav- 
eled days  and  days  to  get  there.     We  were  in  full 


ALASKA.  '      39 

sympathy  with  those  who  had  sufifered  much  fatigue 
in  their  journey,  for  we  went  through  dangers  and 
difficulties  not  a  few  to  reach  the  scene  of  festivities. 

The  spot  selected  was  a  bluff,  about  two  miles  out 
of  the  city,  upon  which  had  been  erected  a  wooden 
house,  where  the  multitudes  were  to  assemble. 
Toward  this  we  started  one  night  after  dark.  The 
path  lay  along  the  beach  for  about  a  mile  ;  this  led  to 
a  very  high  cliff,  the  top  of  which  must  be  reached  if 
we  would  "go  to  the  dance."  It  seemed  a  very  diffi- 
cult task,  but  by  climbing  up  three  steps  and  slipping 
back  two — floundering  about  in  a  most  ungraceful 
fashion — we  finally  reached  the  top,  and  crawled, 
snake-like,  around  the  ledge,  where  we  sat  for  a  time 
trying  to  catch  our  breath,  and  congratulating  our- 
selves that  we  were  still  alive.  It  is  said,  "Those 
who  go  to  the  dance  must  pay  the  fiddler,"  and  we 
had  to  give  our  contribution  in  the  form  of  "climbing 
to  get  there." 

Foot-sore,  breathless,  and  with  blistered  hands — to 
say  nothing  of  rent  garments — we  reached  the  dance- 
hall.  The  missionary  who  acted  as  escort  to  the 
party  entered  first.  The  master  of  ceremonies  came 
forward  to  meet  and  welcome  us.  The  only  available 
seats  were  on  the  floor ;  here  we  arranged  ourselves  in 
line  against  the  side  of  the  house  where  the  women 
were  sitting,  and  soon  the  uproar  began.  The  most 
noticeable  feature  of  the  gathering  was  the  costume  of 
the  women,  the  chief  garment  being  their  Chilcat,  or 
highly-colored  blanket.  The  plain,  solid-colored 
blankets  were  covered  with  thousands  of  white  agate 


40      •  ALASKA. 

buttons.  These  were  sewed  to  overlap  each  other, 
fish-scale  fashion,  in  the  most  hideous  forms,  repre- 
senting the  tribe  from  which  they  had  descended  ;  or, 
as  we  should  say,  showing  "their  pedigree" — pro- 
claiming to  their  small  world  their  "blue  blood." 
Many  had  their  faces  painted  black,  each  had  rings 
either  in  ears  or  nose,  and  the  crowning  ornament — 
the  labret — in  the  pierced  lower  lip. 

The  men  wore  many  kinds  of  fur.  The  new  chief 
was  arrayed  in  long  bands  of  white  fur,  hanging  like 
fringe  all  around  his  head,  extending  down  to  his 
chin,  and  dangling  over  his  face.  Less  noted  ones 
wore  common  fur,  arranged  in  similar  fashion. 

Unlike  the  custom  of  most  countries  the  men  do  all 
the  dancing,  and  the  women  look  on.  The  signal 
was  given,  and  about  twenty  men  stepped  to  the 
middle  of  the  floor  and  formed  a  circle ;  the  women 
sat  or  piled  themselves  together  around  the  sides  of 
the  room.  The  "band"  was  a  rattle  and  a  drum; 
the  latter  was  hammered  without  regard  to  time  or 
tune.  Not  a  foot  moved.  The  dancing  consisted  in 
swaying  the  body,  and  bending  it  into  every  con- 
ceivable shape,  to  the  time — if  it  could  be  called  time 
— of  the  music.  This  lasted  nntil  the  dancers  were 
ready  to  drop  from  exhaustion,  when  refreshments  of 
oil  and  fish  were  passed. 

While  we  looked  on  in  great  astonishment  some 
one  struck  up  a  tune ;  another  took  it  up,  then 
another,  until  the  whole  scene  became  a  bedlam  of 
confusion.  The  women  remained  seated  ;  their  only 
part  in  the  dance  is  to  keep  time  to  the  music  by 


ALASKA.  41 

clapping  their  hands,  and  singing  a  low,  sad  chant 
that  falls  upon  the  ear  like  a  distant  wail  of  distress. 
This  continues  for  some  days.  On  the  last  day  they 
usually  "fill  up  the  bowl,"  and  keep  on  filling  up 
until  they  fairly  reel  home  to  await  the  death  of  the 
chief — looking  forward  with  joy  and  gladness  to  a 
similar  occasion. 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   LAND    OF    MANY    CHARMS. 

jOME  time  ago  I  stood  on  the  deck  of  an  out- 
going steamer,  bent  on  a  visit  to  the  Sand- 
wich islands.  We  waved  adieu  to  our  friends 
on  shore  and  sailed  down  San  Francisco's  beautiful 
bay,  nine  miles  long  by  fifty  miles  wide,  set  with 
emerald  isles,  bordered  with  towns  and  villages,  land- 
locked by  mountains,  and  dotted  with  shipping  from 
all  parts  of  the  world.  A  magnificent  entrance,  one 
mile  wide — Golden  Gate — connects  this  bay  with  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Through  this  world-famous  gateway 
floats  a  commerce  second  only  to  that  of  New  York. 
Sometimes  the  fog  marches  in,  silent  and  resistless  as 
an  army  of  ghosts  ;  then  again  the  glory  of  the  set- 
ting sun  pours  through  it,  lighting  up  the  bay  and 
landscape  with  a  golden  radiance.  As  it  was  being 
thus  lighted  we  passed  out,  with  Lime  Point  on  one 
side,  clearly  outlined  by  the  pale  blue  sky,  and  on  the 
other,  high,  rugged  hills,  covered  to  the  summit  with 
green  in  all  shades. 

We  passed  the  great  rocks  over  which  creep  and  crawl 
the  ugly,  lazy  sea-lions,  where,  protected  by  the  gov- 


44  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

ernment,  they  bark  and  roar,  much  to  the  interest  of 
those  who  have  never  seen  the  * '  seal-rocks  ' '  before. 
We  crossed  the  bar,  reached  the  open  sea,  and  before 
the  shades  of  night  fell  were  face  to  face  with  the 
greatest  ocean — a  wild,  weary,  trackless  waste  of  water, 
stretching  five  thousand  miles  away. 

As  the  shadows  of  departing  day  lengthened,  all 
nature  seemed  imbued  with  joy  ;  the  very  heavens 
were  tinged  with  the  brightness  of  another  world,  and 
we  imagined  we  could  almost  see  angelic  hands  as 
they  softly  shifted  the  fleecy  drapery  of  the  skies. 
The  sun  was  lost  beyond  the  horizon  ;  the  pale  moon 
rose  to  throw  its  enchantment  over  land  and  sea  ;  one 
great  star  after  another  opened  Its  bright  eye  upon  us, 
and  we  were  loath  to  retire  to  our  cabins. 

Morning  dawned,  but  the  scene  was  changed.  I  rose 
to  make  a  hasty  toilet,  but  felt  compelled  to  desist,  to 
retreat — in  fact,  to  retire.  The  stewardess  tried  to 
comfort  me  by  saying,  "It's  only  a  'swell';  it  will 
soon  be  over."  The  whole  day  passed,  and  "the 
swell,"  in  fiendish  glee,  still  pursued  us.  As  I  lan- 
guished in  my  berth,  through  the  open  window  came 
a  voice  singing,  "  Oh,  for  a  life  on  the  ocean  wave,  -a 
home  on  the  rolling  deep."  I  could  endure  the  sea- 
sickness, but  the  very  thought  of  those  words  filled 
my  whole  being  with  an  intense  desire  to  imbrue  my 
hands  in  the  gore  of  the  man  who  wrote  them  to 
delude  an  unsuspecting  public.  If  it  were  only  the 
deep  that  rolled,  no  one  would  care  ;  but  the  steamer 
rolled — everything  rolled — I  rolled. 

As  I  importuned  the  stewardess  to  use  her  influence 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS.  45 

with  the  captain  that  the  numerous  rollings  might 
cease,  she  mildly  replied,  "  This  is  nothing  ;  one  time 
I  rolled  out  of  my  berth  to  the  floor,  under  the  oppo- 
site berth,  out  into  the  passage,  and  should  have  been 
rolling  still,  had  I  not  encountered  some  deck-hands, 
who,  in  the  innocence  of  their  profession,  mistook  me 
for  freight,  gathered  up  my  fragments,  and  deposited 
me  in  a  place  of  safety."  I  spake  not  another  word, 
for  that  woman  was  a  better  roller  than  I.  I  simply 
resolved  that  at  the  end  of  the  journey  I  should 
quietly  count  my  bones  to  see  if  I  were  "all  there," 

I  reached  my  destination  in  a  somewhat  weather- 
beaten  condition,  but  in  the  first  glimpses  of  dry  land 
soon  forgot  the  discomfort  of  the  sea.  It  was  a  charm- 
ing sight — early  in  the  morning,  the  air  balmy,  the 
bay  a  beautiful  blue,  and  the  sun  just  peeping  above 
the  water's  edge,  shedding  its  rays  over  land  and  sea. 
I  felt  that  we  had  reached  a  new  world. 

The  first  sight  of  land  is  Koko  Head,  a  point  rising 
abruptly  from  the  sea,  extending  into  a  range  of  hills, 
irregular  and  broken,  and  covered  with  many  shades 
of  green,  making  a  most  beautiful  view  from  the 
steamer. 

The  pilot  came  aboard,  and  very  soon  I  was  landed 
in  one  of  the  most  lovely  spots  that  fortune  has  ever 
favored  me  with  seeing.  Of  the  eleven  islands  which 
compose  the  Hawaiian  group,  eight  only  are  inhab- 
ited. These  include  an  area  of  six  thousand  square 
miles,  and  have  a  climate  so  charming  that  hundreds 
hasten  hither  as  a  refuge  from  storms  and  blasts. 

In  Hawaii  there  are  numerous  snow-capped  mount- 


46  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

ains,  and  volcanoes  not  a  few.  Mauna  Loa  is  four- 
teen thousand  feet  high,  and,  some  years  ago,  for 
twenty  days  and  nights  sustained  a  fountain  of  fiery 
lava  seven  hundred  feet  high  and  from  one  to  three 
hundred  feet  in  diameter.  It  was  visible  over  thirty 
leagues  away,  and  by  its  light  fine  print  was  easily 
read  at  a  distance  of  forty  miles. 

On  the  side  of  Mauna  I^oa  is  Kilauea,  the  largest 
constantly  active  volcano  in  the  world.  This  is 
where  the  ancients  worshiped  the  Goddess  Pele  ;  and 
from  that  crater,  at  various  times,  rivers  of  lava  a  mile 
wide  have  burned  their  way  through  forests  and  over 
villages  for  thirty  miles,  and  for  weeks  have  poured 
their  flow  of  fire  into  the  ocean,  killing  the  fish, 
changing  the  coast-line,  and  heating  the  water  for 
twenty  miles  along  the  shore.  These  mountains  lend 
beauty  to  the  island,  and  have  a  wild  kind  of  fascina- 
tion for  all  attracted  to  the  spot ;  but  the  physical 
charm  of  the  little  republic  does  not  rest  in  its  vol- 
canoes alone.  There  is  a  special  beauty  in  the  val- 
leys—  that  quiet  beauty  of  flitting  sunlight  and 
shadow,  playing  over  the  smooth  surface  of  softly 
flowing  streams,  that  lures  one  from  a  world  of  care 
to  a  calm  enjoyment  of  all  that  has  been  created  to 
turn  the  thoughts  of  humanity  from  the  more  sordid 
things  of  life. 

The  most  striking  feature  of  the  scenery  is  the 
great  variety  of  palms  on  every  hand.  The  cocoanut 
palm  is  said  by  Mark  Twain  to  be  "  the  exclamation 
point ' '  of  tropical  scenery.  The  tree  grows  very 
high — sometimes  to  the  height  of  seventy-five  feet— 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS.  49 

towering  up  without  a  branch  or  leaf  until  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  top,  where  among  the  long,  graceful 
leaves  can  be  seen  clusters  of  fruit.  This  is  gathered, 
at  great  risk  of  life,  by  the  native  boys,  who  put  the 
soles  of  their  feet  flat  against  the  tree,  and,  hand  over 
foot,  reach  the  top,  a  feat  to  which  the  whites  are 
wholly  unequal.  The  beauty  of  the  groves  is  greatly 
marred  by  the  leaning  of  the  trees,  caused  by  strong 
sea-winds  which  blow  against  them  until  they  incline 
in  every  direction  and  at  every  angle. 

Hawaii  is  also  the  home  of  the  banana.  Great 
groves  are  cultivated  by  the  Chinese.  A  tree  never 
comes  to  fructesceuce  but  once  ;  as  "  the  aloe  blossoms 
and  dies,"  so  this  tree  "  fruits  "  and  dies,  is  cut  down, 
and  a  new  tree  must  take  its  place,  growing  from  the 
same  roots,  before  other  fruit  appears. 

One  of  the  chief  industries  of  the  island  is  the 
growing  of  sugar-cane.  As  we  drove  through  the 
valley  great  fields  of  tall,  standing  cane  waved  in  the 
breeze,  and  hundreds  of  natives  were  busily  engaged 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  product  that  has  brought 
millions  to  at  least  one  man. 

In  the  lowlands  we  saw  a  plant  of  rare  beauty  and 
learned  that  this  was  the  vegetable  upon  which  the 
natives  chiefly  subsist.  It  has  beautiful  foliage,  with 
broad,  shining  leaves  very  like  a  calla  leaf,  and  is 
often  grown  in  our  hothouses  under  the  botanical 
name  of  Caladiiun  esculentiim.  The  root  only  is 
used,  and  is  prepared  after  the  manner  of  mashed 
potatoes,  milk  being  added  until  it  is  reduced  to  the 
consistency  of  cake  dough.      The  natives   dip  two 


50  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

fingers  into  the  compound,  and  thus  convey  it  to  their 
mouths,  never  using  a  spoon.  When  we  visited  the 
jail  it  was  the  time  at  which  the  prisoners  took  their 
evening  meal,  which  was  served  in  wash-tubs  under 
the  great  trees  in  the  yard.  My  attention  was 
directed  to  a  group  of  natives  seated  on  the  ground 
around  one  of  these  tubs  of  "poe,"  all  dipping  their 
fingers  in  the  same  tub.  It  was  very  amusing  to 
watch  the  skill  with  which  the  food  was  taken  to  the 
mouth,  without  any  dripping  or  stringing  about  as 
one  would  suppose.  This  vegetable  is  said  to  con- 
tain more  nourishing  properties  than  those  of  any 
other  known  plant,  and  judging  from  the  hearty, 
robust  appearance  of  the  islanders,  I  should  say  it 
might  be  so. 

We  found  nothing  of  greater  interest  during  the 
visit  to  the  islands  than  the  study  of  the  natives. 
The  present  generation  seems  to  be  a  mixture  of  all 
races.  Intermarrying  exists  here  to  a  greater  extent 
than  in  almost  any  other  place  of  which  I  know. 
The  negroes,  Portuguese,  Japanese,  and  Chinese 
marry  white  women  if  they  can  ;  if  not,  they  take 
half-castes,  and  I  doubt  very  much  if  any  of  the 
present  generation  have  a  clear  idea  of  the  race  to 
which  they  belong. 

We  passed  Emma  Hall,  and  as  it  was  brilliantly 
lighted  we  looked  in  to  see  what  was  going  on.  In 
one  room  downstairs  we  found  a  Portuguese  night 
school,  taught  by  a  half-white  teacher.  In  a  room 
farther  in  the  rear  was  a  Japanese  singing-school, 
presided  over  by  a  white  teacher,  an  American.     In 


THE  SAND  WICH  ISLANDS.  5 1 

the  hall  above  the  natives  were  assembled  in  force, 
.and  an  Englishman  was  trying  to  lead  them  into 
those  paths  of  sobriety  from  which  they  have  de- 
parted since  they  were  discovered.  I  doubt  if  one 
roof  ever  sheltered  a  more  cosmopolitan  gathering. 

The  natives  are  better  housed,  clothed  and  fed  than 
those  of  any  other  part  of  the  world,  and  are  quite  as 
comfortable  as  many  of  the  middle  class  of  America. 
It  is  not  an  uncommon  sight  to  see  native  families 
driving  out  in  their  own  carriages.  Many  of  the 
women  are  good-looking,  tall  and  graceful  of  figure, 
and  are  nearly  always  well  dressed.  When  the  mis- 
sionaries went  to  the  islands  in  1820  they  found  the 
women  going  about  in  an  almost  nude  state,  and  in- 
troduced what  has  "  evoluted  "  into  the  "  Mother- 
Hubbard "  dress.  To  this  the  natives  have  ever 
clung,  and  it  forms  a  most  suitable  costume  for  that 
clime.  They  have  also  made  great  progress  since 
their  language  has  been  reduced  to  a  written  tongue. 
Idolatry  is  now  unknown  among  them  ;  their  idols 
are  broken,  and  their  superstitions  have  given  way  to 
enlightenment. 

The  city  of  Honolulu  has  a  very  large  foreign  pop- 
ulation, and,  unlike  most  cities  of  its  kind,  the 
natives'  houses  are  found  in  all  directions  ;  they  have 
no  native  settlement  or  native  quarters.  They  build 
pretty  houses,  own  well-kept  gardens,  live  comfort- 
ably, and  are  industrious. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   LAST   KING   OF   THE    ISLANDS. 

Y  VISIT  to  the  islands  was  in  the  days  of 
King  Kalakaua,  who  paid  me  the  honor  of 
granting  a  private  audience.  I  was  received 
in  the  royal  palace,  a  large  stone  structure  opposite 
the  State-house,  situated  in  the  middle  of  an  inclosure 
containing  about  eight  acres  of  ground  forming  a 
spacious  park.  This  park  was  inclosed  by  a  fence 
eight  feet  high,  and  each  of  the  large  gates  was 
guarded  by  royal  soldiers.  It  was  quite  impossible 
to  gain  admission  to  the  grounds  without  an  order 
to  the  guards.  A  short  distance  from  the  palace,  in 
the  same  inclosure,  was  the  queen's  house,  said  to  be 
the  living-house  of  their  majesties,  the  palace  being 
used  chiefly  on  state  occasions. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  the  chamberlain  I  was 
shown  over  the  palace.  A  long  flight  of  marble 
stairs  led  to  the  great  front  door,  where  the  chamber- 
lain met  me.  We  stopped  iu  the  large  hall  to  see  the 
chief  paintings  of  the  palace.  They  hung  on  each 
side  of  the  hall,  and  were  principally  those  of  the 
dusky-skinned  rulers  of  the  past.  To  the  left, 
through  a  great  archway,  we  reached  the  red,  or 
throne  room.  It  was  very  large,  and  was  furnished 
in  garnet.  The  chairs  were  plain,  but  beautiful — 
garnet  plush  with  gilt  frames.     To  the  far  end  of  the 


THE  SAND  WICH  ISL  AMDS.  55 

room,  on  a  small  platform  under  a  canopy  of  magnif- 
icent tapestry  drapery,  stood  the  throne,  plain  and 
simple,  made  after  the  fashion  of  the  chairs. 

To  the  right  of  the  hall  we  entered  the  blue,  or 
reception  room,  provided  with  blue  brocade  furniture 
mounted  in  ebony.  On  the  wall  hung  the  pictures  of 
the  king  and  queen,  and  aside  from  this  the  furnish- 
ings were  few  and  plain.  Just  before  us  great  folding 
doors  opened  into  the  state  dining-hall.  A  magnifi- 
cent sideboard,  laden  with  silver,  two  long  rows  of 
chairs,  a  long  table,  and  mixed  carpet,  completed  the 
furniture.  On  the  upper  floor  were  the  guest-cham- 
bers, and  those  occupied  on  occasion  by  the  king 
and  queen.  A  severe  cold  prevented  the  queen  from 
being  present,  but  his  majesty,  the  king,  received  me 
in  the  blue  room. 

This  was  my  first  experience  in  the  presence  of  real 
live  royalty — a  natural-born  king — a  fellow-creature 
great  because  he  could  not  help  it — born  great.  Poor 
man,  how  sorry  I  was  for  him  to  be  thus  burdened  ! 
Yet  I  must  nerve  myself  to  gaze  upon  a  sight  my 
eyes  had  never  beheld.  How  I  felt !  My  democratic, 
Fourth-of-July  principles  bore  down  heavily  upon  me 
as  I  thought  of  the  bowing,  scraping  and  "backing 
out  "  from  his  natural-born  mightiness. 

As  I  sat  in  the  blue  room  trying  to  arm  myself 
with  a  determination  to  rise  to  the  occasion,  the 
shadow  of  greatness  fell  upon  the  floor,  and  I  was  in 
the  presence  of  this  born  king.  As  the  chamberlain 
presented  me  the  king  advanced  in  a  most  friendly 
way,  shook  hands,  and  seated  himself  near  by,  ready 


56  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

to  hear  any  petition  I  might  make.  Unlike  the 
queen,  he  spoke  correct  English,  and  his  words  were 
well  chosen.  In  appearance  he  was  a  perfect  type  of 
physical  manhood.  He  was  very  dark,  with  black, 
curly  hair,  a  feature  that  at  once  betrayed  the  negro 
blood.  His  father  and  grandfather  were  both  negroes, 
but  his  mother  was  a  South  Sea  Island  woman  of 
high  rank  ;  so  he  took  his  royalty  from  his  mother's 
side.  He  was,  I  should  say,  six  feet  high,  weighed 
about  two  hundred  pounds,  and  was  both  polished 
and  graceful  in  manners.  He  was  dressed  in  a  suit 
of  white  pressed  jlannel,  black  tie,  and  canvas  shoes. 
His  display  of  jewelry  was  almost  alarming ;  his 
hands  were  covered  with  jewels  of  all  kinds,  each 
finger  weighted  down  to  the  joint,  and  his  spread  of 
watch-chain  was  quite  overpowering. 

While  in  Siam,  I  heard  a  story  of  Kalakaua  that 
amused  me  very  much.  When  he  made  up  his  mind 
to  journey  around  the  world,  he  decided  to  visit  the 
remote  and  unbeaten  regions  of  Siam.  It  was  an- 
nounced in  the  newspapers  of  that  country  that  this 
king  would  appear  amid  them  in  the  course  of  his 
wanderings.  The  Siamese  ruler  thought  it  only  fit- 
ting that  his  majesty  should  be  received  in  a  most 
appropriate  fashion,  and  although  well  educated  in 
the  English  language  and  quite  familiar  with  the 
"  lay  of  the  land  "  of  this  planet,  he  could  not  recall 
the  Sandwich  Islands ;  neither  could  he  remember 
having  heard  the  musical  name  of  Kalakaua.  An 
imperial  personage,  the  king's  brother,  was  sum- 
moned before  the  sovereign,  and  instructed  to  make 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS.  59 

known  to  him  this  ruler  that  was  to  invade  their 
shores.  The  prince  made  all  possible  speed  to  gather 
together  his  books  and  begin  researches  that  would 
lead  to  information  concerning  the  expected  guest. 
The  first  book  that  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  prince 
chanced  to  be  an  early  account  of  Captain  Cook's  visit 
to  the  islands,  wherein  he  read,  "  The  inhabitants  are 
cannibals,  or  a  man-eating  tribe."  This  information 
imparted  to  the  king,  he  decided  that  the  hospitality 
of  the  palace  should  be  withheld ;  for  he  instantly 
conceived  the  awful  result  of  a  "man-eater"  being 
turned  at  large  among  the  forty  wives,  sixty  children, 
and  fifteen  hundred  women  in  his  harem.  It  is  said 
Kalakaua  had  to  content  himself  with  the  accommo- 
dations of  the  hotel. 

The  king  was  very  unpopular  among  the  whites, 
and  had  his  days  been  lengthened,  he  doubtless  would 
have  met  the  fate  of  the  one  who  tried  to  succeed  him. 
The  natives,  also,  were  becoming  well  educated,  the 
spirit  of  progress  had  taken  possession  of  them,  and 
they  were  beginning  to  feel  that  the  old  form  of  gov- 
ernment did  not  meet  the  demands  of  the  day,  and  the 
rulers  were  behind  in  the  recognition  of  the  rights  of 
the  people. 

All  around  Honolulu  are  tombs,  statues,  halls,  etc., 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  past  rulers  in  the  minds 
of  the  youth.  In  front  of  the  old  native  church  is  the 
beautiful  tomb  of  King  Lunalilo.  It  is  a  good-sized 
structure  of  modern  design,  surrounded  by  a  high, 
iron  fence,  the  gate  of  which  is  always  locked,  so  that 
a  near  approach  to  the  tomb  is  impossible.     In  front 


6o  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

of  the  State-house  stands  the  statue  of  the  first  king, 
Kamehameha  ("the  ugly  one"),  who  subdued  the 
islands,  and  set  up  a  kingdom  by  right  of  conquest. 
The  statue  stands  on  a  pedestal  some  five  feet  high, 
and  represents  the  king  as  conqueror,  with  a  spear  in 
one  hand  and  the  other  outstretched  and  beckoning  to 
all  to  come  and  behold  his  victory.  He  is  represented 
as  very  dark-skinned,  with  no  garments  save  a  great 
mantle,  gilt  color,  that  falls  in  graceful  folds  about 
his  dusky  figure. 

The  mantle  of  marble  gives  some  idea  of  the  one  he 
wore  during  his  lifetime.  The  original  mantle  was 
made  of  yellow  feathers  taken  from  the  breast  of  a 
black  bird  which  was  known  to  the  islands  in  early 
days,  but  which  has  long  since  become  extinct.  The 
king  ordered  that  the  birds,  which  had  just  one  yellow 
feather  in  their  breasts,  should  be  trapped,  the  feather 
pulled  out,  and  the  birds  set  at  liberty.  From  these  a 
mantle  was  made  said  to  be  worth  one  million  dollars. 
It  was  intended  to  be  handed  down  to  the  succeeding 
sovereigns  so  long  as  a  fragment  of  it  remained,  or  the 
islands  were  under  monarchical  rule.  The  predeces- 
sor of  Kalakaua  became  possessed  of  the  idea  that  as 
he  entered  the  unknown  he  would  look  well  sweeping 
through  the  portals  in  this  kingly  robe,  so  he  ordered 
that  it  should  form  his  shroud,  and  this  garment  of 
vast  wealth  was  consigned,  with  the  king's  remains, 
to  the  darkness  of  the  tomb. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    I^EPER    COLONY. — ROBERT    LOUIS   STEVENSON. 

N  AWFUL  and  dreaded  spot  among  these 
islands  is  Molokai,  or  leper  settlement. 
The  location  set  aside  for  the  lepers  is 
about  three  miles  long  and  nearly  a  mile  wide — a 
perfect  place  of  seclusion.  If  the  poor  lepers  thought 
of  escaping  few  of  them  could  do  so,  for  a  very 
high  cliff  separates  them  from  the  other  part  of  the 
island,  so  high  that  clouds  most  of  the  time  cover 
its  top.  To  this  internment  the  unhappy  victims  are 
doomed  for  life. 

There  is  no  class  of  people  so  calculated  to  drav/ 
upon  our  sympathy  as  are  lepers.  The  family  ties 
are  broken,  A  father,  son,  daughter  or  mother,  when 
declared  a  leper,  is  ordered  off  to  Molokai,  and  no 
matter  what  their  station  may  have  been,  there  they 
must  mingle  with  every  and  all  specimens  of  human- 
ity, for  among  the  diseased  are  Japanese,  Chinese, 
half-castes,  Hawaiians,  and,  in  fact,  members  of  all 
the  tribes  found  in  the  islands.  Father  Damien, 
moved  by  love  for  the  suffering,  went  to  the  island  to 
devote  his  life  to  the  unfortunates  living  there;  in- 
deed, he  was  banished  as  were  they  themselves. 
Thus  he  strove  for  eight  years,  free  from  the  disease, 
to  administer    the   comforts  of    his   faith    to    those 


62  THE  SA  ND  WICH  ISLANDS. 

who  must  ever  and  always,  as  they  look  upon  their 
bodies,  be  reminded  that  life  has  few  charms  for  them. 
Constant  contact  with  the  disease  brought  the  good 
father  to  see  his  danger,  but  too  late — he  found  him- 
self a  leper.  The  signs  were  faint,  but  sure.  As 
time  passed  the  disease  spread,  until  his  eyes,  neck, 
ears  and  hands  were  so  bad  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
he  could  perform  his  usual  duties.  Father  Conrady 
was  sent  to  the  help  of  this  devoted  servant  of  human- 
ity, and  doubtless  shared  the  same  fate. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  there  were  some  very  bad 
cases  on  the  island,  and  many  were  dying  daily. 
From  among  the  fifteen  hundred  then  there,  the  close 
of  each  day  found  at  least  one  under  the  sod.  Some 
were  without  lips  and  nose  ;  to  some  but  a  portion  of 
their  feet  remained  ;  and  in  others,  the  disease  mani- 
fested itself  in  ways  still  more  repulsive.  It  was  very 
sad  to  see  small  boys,  some  under  ten  years  of  age, 
with  crippled  and  mangled  hands  trying  to  wash  and 
mend  their  clothes.  At  the  sight  of  so  many  deaths 
these  little  fellows  would  say,  "  If  we  stay  here  we 
shall  surely  die ;  if  we  could  go  home  we  might  get 
well."  Little  did  they  dream  that  they  had  been  sent 
to  Molokai  to  die. 

One  would  almost  expect  in  the  present  state  of 
advanced  medical  science  that  this  disease  could  be 
conquered  ;  but  thus  far  it  has  baffled  all  skill.  When 
in  the  leper  settlement  ofiF  the  coast  of  Africa  I  met  a 
physician  who  thought  he  could  arrest  the  disease  if 
the  government  would  allow  him  to  try.  His  idea 
was  to  inoculate  the  patient  with  smallpox  virus. 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS.  65 

When  the  news  of  the  many  children  on  the  island 
had  spread  abroad,  and  an  appeal  had  been  made  in 
their  behalf  for  someone  to  go  there  to  care  for  them, 
Miss  Flavin,  moved  by  love  that  characterizes  the 
women  of  the  world,  proceeded  to  Molokai  to  devote 
her  life  to  the  young  of  the  leper  settlement.  On 
reaching  the  island,  however,  it  was  discovered  that 
she  belonged  to  some  different  order,  and  she  was 
thus  prevented  from  carrying  out  her  long- cherished 
plan  of  bringing  blessing  to  the  lives  of  the  uncared- 
for  of  that  desolate  spot. 

South  and  west  of  this  group  of  islands  the  South 
Seas  are  dotted  with  similar  groups,  varying  only  a 
few  degrees  in  climate,  and  tropical  scenery.  It  was 
my  intention  to  visit  these  groups  on  a  missionary 
steamer,  and  spend  a  whole  season  cruising  about  the 
Pacific  ;  but  news  came  to  us  of  swells,  squalls  and  a 
general  disturbed  condition  of  the  sea.  I  had  had 
"swell  "  enough  in  getting  to  Honolulu,  so  I  resolved 
to  continue  my  journey  to  New  Zealand  and  later  on 
return  to  the  islands. 

On  this  return  trip  (to  make  somewhat  of  a  long 
digression)  we  were  all  delighted  to  welcome  as  pas- 
sengers Mr.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  the  late  nov- 
elist, and  part  of  his  family — his  wife  and  her  daugh- 
ter. The  passengers  were  few,  and  in  the  journey  of 
two  weeks  I  saw  much  of  this  interesting  trio.  Mr. 
Stevenson  had  been  to  New  Zealand  for  a  breath  of 
cool  air  in  the  hope  of  a  general  return  of  strength. 
From  his  looks  I  was  of  the  opinion  that  his  visit  had 
been  in  vain  ;  and  yet  he  had  no  thought  of  anything 


66  THE  SAND  WICH  ISLANDS. 

less  than  entertaining  the  world  for  years  with  his  pen, 
from  which  flowed  so  much  that  told  us  of  the  won- 
derful genius  of  the  man.  lyike  his  books,  he  bore 
the  stamp  of  genius,  and  had  I  not  known  who  he  was 
I  should  have  said,  ' '  There  is  a  man  who  can  say, 
'  I  am  part  of  all  I  have  seen.'  " 

As  I  looked  at  and  studied  him  from  time  to  time 
during  the  voyage,  I  felt  sad  indeed  to  see  the  phys- 
ical wreck  that  was  overtaking  him.  There  is  some- 
thing about  the  silent  fading  away  of  a  genius  that 
makes  us  feel  that  others  less  useful  should  be  the 
ones  to  be  borne  down  the  stream.  To  see  this  gifted 
man's  hollow  cheek,  sunken  eye,  and  stooped  form, 
was  to  see  the  scythe  near  his  feet,  and  to  know  that 
time  for  him  was  fading  into  eternity  ;  Robert  I^ouis 
Stevenson  'Stood  in  the  shadow  of  the  beyond. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  was  also  a  most  striking  character, 
both  in  appearance  and  personality — probably  some 
years  her  husband's  senior.  From  living  in  the  trop- 
ics, which  means  living  largely  out  of  doors,  she  was 
tanned,  and  her  skin  resembled  the  color  of  the  Span- 
ish woman.  This,  with  her  white  teeth,  black  eyes 
and  raven-black  hair,  gave  her  a  decidedly  foreign 
look,  though  she  is  an  American  by  birth.  Because 
of  the  heat,  she  and  her  daughter  had  adopted  the 
dress — commonly  called  a  "Mother  Hubbard"  — 
worn  by  all  the  Christian  natives  of  the  South  Seas. 
This  careless  and  almost  untidy  fashion  of  dress  de- 
tracted from  the  dignity  of  the  wife  of  a  genius.  But  a 
genius — man  or  woman — has  never  lived  who  did  not 
appropriate  unto  himself  or  herself  the  right  of  de- 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS.  69 

parting  from  the  usual  line,  either  in  poor  writing  or 
spelling,  long  or  short  hair,  or  some  eccentricity  of 
dress,  all  to  help  nature  out  in  bearing  the  stamp  of 
the  unusual.  These  departures,  in  some  form,  were 
plainly  to  be  seen  in  the  three  members  of  this  inter- 
esting family. 

The  steamer  stopped  at  Samoa,  and  I  was  invited 
to  the  Stevenson  home,  some  distance  from  the  coast, 
Mr.  Stevenson  had  chosen  his  home  there  not  so 
much  because  he  favored  the  spot  above  all  others, 
but  because  the  gentle  breeze  from  the  salt  sea  — 
breathed  amid  the  perfume  of  flowers,  under  the  trees, 
among  all  that  appealed  to  his  finely  strung  nature, 
subdued  and  softened  by  the  tropical  clime — seemed 
to  lend  strength  to  his  almost  spent  forces,  and  to 
lengthen  the  thread  apparently  so  near  its  end.  How 
fitting,  then,  that  among  these  people  to  whom  he 
had  endeared  himself,  and  in  whose  welfare  he  had 
so  deep  an  interest — how  fitting  that  he  should  there 
have  laid  down  his  pen,  pushed  aside  the  unfinished 
manuscript,  and  asked  to  be  buried  on  those  hills 
from  whose  heights  he  had  often  listened  to  the  song 
of  the  sea  beating  upon  the  rock-bound  shore,  or  roll- 
ing with  soft  and  gentle  murmur  upon  the  sands — 
that  song  now  changed,  alas,  into  a  solemn  requiem 
to  the  departed  Robert  I^ouis  Stevenson  ! 


NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 


CHAPTER   I. 

FROM   AUCKLAND   TO   WELLINGTON. 

|MONG  the  English  dependencies  the  colonies 
of  Australasia  are  the  least  known,  or,  if 
known  at  all,  are  usually  associated  with 
the  conditions  of  primitive  days,  all  marks  of  which 
have  disappeared  save  a  few  great  buildings  that  stand 
unworthy  monuments  to  a  system  of  most  inhuman 
treatment.  When  the  last  of  these  buildings  has 
been  leveled  to  the  ground  little  will  remain  to  tell 
the  tale  of  early  cruelties,  and  Australasia  will  be 
known  to  the  world  as  it  really  is — the  workingman's 
paradise  ;  a  laud  of  sunshine,  fruit  and  flowers,  of 
limitless  resources  and  possibilities,  and  destined  to 
become  one  of  the  greatest  republics  on  the  globe. 
The  remote  situation  of  the  islands  forming  Austral- 
asia, the  infrequent  communication  with  them,  and 
the  great  length  of  time  required  for  the  journey 
(five  weeks  from  England,  four  from  Africa,  and  four 
from  America),  give  one  the  idea  that  it  is  a  somewhat 
unimportant  country  ;  hence  extensive  travel  through 
the  colonies  is  a  continual  surprise. 

My  first  visit  was  from  the  direction  of  the  South 
Seas  ;  this  brought  me  to  Auckland  after  a  long  voy- 


72  NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

age  of  which  the  starting  point  was  San  Francisco. 
The  steamers  employed  in  this  service  are  principally 
freight  boats,  and  the  accommodation  is  anything  but 
first-class.  One  hundred  and  fifty  names  made  up 
the  passenger  list  ;  commercial  travelers,  tourists  and 
preachers  were  among  the  number.  Every  possible 
device  was  resorted  to  in  our  attempt  to  pass  the 
hours.  As  we  neared  the  equator,  and  the  heat  be- 
came almost  unbearable,  someone  proposed  a  dance  ! 
The  stewards  brought  out  a  fiddle  and  a  banjo  ;  the 
passengers  formed  into  line  for  the  Virginia  reel,  and 
"joy  was  unconfined."  The  preachers  looked  on 
and  applauded,  and  one  Catholic  priest  joined  in  the 
dance.  The  monotony  of  the  voyage  was  broken 
with  preaching  on  Sundays,  and  singing,  music  and 
dancing  on  week  nights.  All  went  well,  and  we 
were  having  a  gay,  happy  time  when  we  reached  the 
one  hundred  and  eightieth  meridian,  where  a  whole 
day  was  dropped.  Retiring  Friday  night  after  the 
dance  we  awoke  on  Sunday  morning.  This  brought 
two  Sabbaths  within  the  six  days,  which  so  enraged 
the  commercial  travelers,  who  had  a  violent  dislike 
for  that  particular  day,  that  they  betook  themselves 
to  the  smoking-room  to  play  cards. 

Among  our  number  were  a  bride  and  groom  on  their 
wedding  trip  around  the  world.  The  bride  was  a 
very  young,  sweet  creature,  who  had  never  been 
abroad  before,  and  the  groom  was  a  bright  English- 
man, but  a  wretched  sailor.  Poor  soul  !  it  was  some- 
thing pitiful  to  see  him.  I  have  never  known  anyone 
so  affected  by  the  sea.     Again  and  again  he  declared 


NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA.  75 

that  if  he  had  committed  all  the  sins  in  the  calendar, 
and  broken  the  entire  decalogue,  his  punishment  had 
far  outrun  his  offense.  Finally,  when  it  became  un- 
bearable and  he  could  no  longer  retain  a  morsel  of 
food  after  having  tried  every  known  remedy,  he 
resolved  to  abandon  the  trip  and  return  home.  As 
we  neared  Auckland  he  made  his  intentions  known 
to  his  bride,  who  soon  rose  to  a  state  of  revolt,  and 
declared  she  would  go  on  alone.  Auckland  was 
reached,  and  each  prepared  to  carry  out  a  separate 
plan,  he  to  return  to  England  by  way  of  America,  and 
she  to  make  her  lonely  pilgrimage  through  the  dis- 
tant Red  Sea.  True  to  their  resolves  they  each  fin- 
ished their  wedding  trip  alone,  and  arrived  in  England 
in  safety. 

The  approach  to  Auckland  is  most  beautiful,  and 
reaching  it  as  we  did,  just  when  the  morning  light 
had  bathed  the  landscape  in  a  sea  of  glory,  we  saw  it 
at  especial  advantage.  The  long  projection  known  as 
North  Cape  extends  into  the  sea  at  the  left,  and  to 
the  right  can  be  seen  a  perfectly  round  island  called 
Rangitoto,  which  means  "the  bloody  sky."  It  is 
supposed  that  the  natives  have  at  some  time  seen  the 
island  in  a  state  of  eruption,  hence  the  name.  The 
whole  country  is  of  volcanic  formation. 

Auckland  is  situated  amid  a  cluster  of  hills  on  a 
small  strip  of  land  almost  surrounded  by  water.  On 
the  east,  an  arm  of  the  sea  extends  inland,  almost 
meeting  another  arm  extending  inland  from  the  other 
side ;  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  land  preserves  this 
projection  from  being  an  island.     The  city  is  quaint 


76  NEIV  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

and  decidedly  English  in  its  life  and  appearance. 
One  feature  that  greatly  impressed  me  was  the  re- 
markable degree  to  which  the  Sabbath  is  observed. 
The  streets  are  wholly  free  from  trafl&c  of  any  kind, 
and  it  is  only  with  difficulty  that  a  cab  can  be  hired. 
Persons  accustomed  to  driving  during  the  week  give 
their  horses  a  well-deserved  rest  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
take  time  to  quietly  walk  to  church.  Indeed,  the  ab- 
sence of  rush  and  hurry  forms  one  of  the  most  re- 
freshing features  of  residence  in  this  far-away  town. 
Another  thing  I  remarked  was  that  the  common  bar- 
tender of  other  lands  had  here  been  supplanted  by 
young  women  who  wholly  monopolized  the  position — 
a  sight  somewhat  shocking  to  those  unaccustomed 
to  it. 

About  the  streets  of  Auckland  I  noticed  many 
swarthy-skinned  natives,  and  was  anxious  to  learn 
something  of  their  customs  and  habits.  In  appear- 
ance they  are  much  like  some  of  the  tribes  of  North 
American  Indians— tall,  well  built,  with  straight 
black  hair,  flat  noses,  low  foreheads,  large  teeth,  and 
dark  eyes.  They  speak  a  language  not  unlike  that  of 
the  Hawaiians,  and  are  very  intelligent,  more  so  I 
should  say  than  are  any  of  the  natives  of  the  South 
Seas.  When  the  missionaries  first  went  to  New  Zea- 
land ihey  found  the  natives  (Maoris)  in  a  semi-barbar- 
ous state,  given  to  the  worship  of  idols,  and  possessed 
of  the  superstitions  common  to  primitive  races.  Some 
of  these  superstitions  they  retain  to  the  present  day. 
The  Maoris  have  been  given  a  section  of  land  known 
as  the  "  King's  country,"  where  they  are  comfortably 


NEW  ZEALAND  AMD  TASMANIA.  79 

quartered.  They  are  gradually  decreasing  in  num- 
bers, a  fact  attributed  to  the  introduction  of  strong 
drink,  which  has  a  fatal  effect  upon  them.  One  of 
the  tribe,  a  dangerous  character,  has  given  the  au- 
thorities very  much  trouble.  Some  years  ago,  during 
the  outbreak  between  the  natives  and  the  whites,  he 
murdered  in  cold  blood  forty  of  the  opposing  forces, 
and  although  he  is  a  very  old  man  he  has  caused 
much  alarm  because  of  his  lawless  spirit.  I  visited 
him  in  the  Auckland  jail,  and  found  a  desperate  indi- 
vidual who  became  almost  violent  in  insisting  on  his 
release  ;  this  was  finally  granted  by  the  authorities  on 
condition  that  he  go  at  once  to  the  King's  country. 
They  still  have  a  chief  of  the  tribe  who  calls  himself 
king,  but  he  is  peace-loving  and  law-abiding. 

Like  many  natives,  these  of  New  Zealand  excel 
in  wood  carving.  It  is  remarkable  that  at  an  early 
day  this  almost  savage  race  should  have  displayed 
so  much  skill  in  this  art.  In  many  of  the  museums 
of  the  colonies  can  be  seen  valuable  specimens  of  the 
work  of  present  generations. 

One  of  the  principal  industries  carried  on  by  these 
natives  is  the  digging  for  Kawri  gum,  which  is  found 
in  great  quantities  imbedded  in  the  earth.  It  is  the 
gum  of  the  tree  which  covered  the  land  ages  ago. 
The  supposition  is  that  in  some  volcanic  eruption 
these  vast  forests  were  buried  in  the  earth,  and  the 
decayed  trees  left  large  deposits.  The  substance  is 
very  hard  and  flinty,  and  is  largely  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  jewelry.  When  highly  polished  it  resem- 
bles amber,  and,  mourited  in  elaborate  silver  settings 


8o  NEIV  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

makes  very  handsome  ornaments.  A  green  stone, 
greatly  prized  by  the  natives,  and  often  worn  by  the 
whites,  is  also  found  ;  this,  too,  is  polished,  and  made 
into  charms  and  jewelry  of  various  kinds. 

Leaving  the  north  island,  less  is  seen  of  the  natives, 
their  reservation  being  wholly  in  the  upper  part  of 
New  Zealand.  I  journeyed  southward  from  Auck- 
land in  a  small  boat.  This  mode  of  travel  always  has 
its  penalties  attached.  It  is  true  the  scenery  was 
beautiful  —  towering  mountains,  softly  murmuring, 
streams,  clear  bright  sky,  indescribable  sunsets,  and 
views  varied  by  the  coloring  of  blooming  fruit  trees 
standing  out  among  highly  cultivated  lowlands. 
Under  some  circumstances  I  should  have  gone  into 
raptures  over  the  beauty  of  nature,  but  on  this  little 
tossing  craft,  the  very  movement  of  which  seemed  to 
hypnotize  me  and  place  me  completely  under  its 
spell,  I  confess  the  landscape,  from  my  point  of  view, 
had  very  little  charm.  My  only  thought  was  to 
escape  to  some  place  where  I  could  breathe  the  pure 
air  of  heaven  free  from  the  combined  smell  of  coffee, 
boiling  soup,  curry  and  all  mixtures  that  can  be  con- 
cocted only  on  board  a  steamer.  With  a  sigh  of 
relief  I  stepped  ashore  at  Napiar,  and  journeyed  over- 
land to  the  capital,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles. 

Part  of  the  journey  was  covered  by  rail,  and  the 
remainder  by  coach,  consuming  a  whole  day  in  cross- 
ing the  island.  About  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
our  train  pulled  slowly  into  the  station,  where  we 
refreshed  the  "  inner  man  "  and  then  transferred  our- 


NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA.  8i 

selves  and  baggage  to  the  coach  in  waiting.  This 
was  a  time -honored  affair — in  America  we  should  say 
a  "forty-niner" — much  the  worse  for  wear.  Four 
decrepit  specimens  of  horse-flesh  were  harnessed  to 
this  ark  on  wheels,  and  soon  began  to  hobble  over  a 
fluted  road,  every  other  hobble  being  an  up  or  down. 
Our  heads  were  in  constant  danger  of  violent  contact 
with  the  "roof"  of  the  vehicle.  This  ancient  con- 
veyance carried  a  very  cosmopolitan  company. 
Directly  opposite  me  sat  a  well-dressed,  tall  and 
stately  native,  or,  rather,  half-caste  ;  on  one  side 
was  a  horse-jockey ;  on  the  left,  an  Englishman ; 
and  between  these  two  last,  an  American.  As  the 
ancient  chariot  rolled  and  rocked  over  the  rough 
roads,  the  rattle  and  clatter  of  loose  windows  made 
it  impossible  to  hear  a  word  spoken.  The  English- 
man roared  something  in  my  left  ear,  but  the  rattle 
completely  drowned  his  voice.  I  nodded  my  head  in 
assent  to  his  unheard  remarks,  and  our  conversation 
came  to  an  end.  I  have  a  suspicion  that  I  said 
"yes"  at  the  wrong  time. 

In  leaving  Napiar  I  had  foolishly  consented  to  add 
a  live  dog  to  my  luggage,  and  see  the  animal  safely 
deposited  on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  Special 
provision  is  made  for  the  transportation  of  dogs  and 
the  like.  A  small  compartment  in  the  luggage  car 
affords  limited  quarters  for  such  ' '  live  stock  ' '  as  may 
form  part  of  one's  baggage.  With  oft-repeated  pro- 
tests in  the  form  of  prolonged  wails  and  howls,  the 
dog  was  jerked  into  this  kennel,  and  when  I  left  the 
train  to  continue  my  journey  by  coach  the  poor  beast 


82  NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

was  forgotten.  Traveling,  as  I  always  have,  un- 
attended and  unattached,  it  was  little  wonder  that  I 
completely  forgot  the  live  part  of  my  baggage.  We 
had  driven  some  distance,  with  such  speed  as  the 
disabled  horses  were  able  to  make,  when  suddenly 
the  driver  stopped  and  everyone  looked  out  to  see 
what  had  happened.  Down  the  road  came  two  lads 
shouting  and  crying  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 
"Driver!  driver!  the  lady  forgot  her  dog."  For  a 
few  seconds  the  driver  seemed  to  speak  in  a  foreign 
language — Hebrew,  I  suppose— and  muttering  some- 
thing about  women  and  their  cats  and  dogs  he  drove 
back  to  the  station  to  recover  my  forgotten  baggage. 
All  available  space  inside  the  coach  was  taken  and 
the  only  place  left  was  the  top  ;  so  the  poor  creature 
was  dragged  to  the  "upper  deck,"  and  the  coach 
moved  on. 

The  driving  was  hard,  for  the  road  was  unkept, 
but  the  surroundings  compensated  in  great  measure 
for  the  discomfort.  Giant  mountains  rose  on  one 
side  ;  and  one  hundred  feet  below  the  road  could  be 
seen  the  river,  winding  in  and  out  among  the  rocks, 
its  banks  fringed  with  ferns,  flowers  and  creepers  that 
grew  in  wild  profusion.  The  striking  feature  of  the 
scenery  was  a  native  "tree  "  of  the  fern  family.  This 
tree  is  of  relatively  gigantic  proportions,  varying  in 
height  from  six  to  ten  feet,  with  long  drooping 
branches  that  cluster  at  the  top  and  shoot  out  to  the 
length  of  six  feet.  Bird  and  beast  may  rest  beneath 
the  cooling  shade  of  the  broad  and  graceful  leaves. 
In  early  days  the  natives  used  the  trunk  of  these  trees 


NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA.  85 

for  building  purposes,  and  some  of  the  buildings  thus 
constructed  still  stand. 

Kvery  turn  in  the  road  brought  us  upon  some  new 
scene  which  led  us  to  forget  the  shaking  of  the  coach. 
When  the  rough  part  of  the  journey  was  over,  we 
were  again  slowly  sweeping  the  land  in  an  "  express" 
train,  which  was  far  from  being  "up  to  date,"  either 
in  matter  of  speed  or  equipment.  The  guard  and 
clerk  (conductor  and  brakeman)  were  usually  lost  in 
the  depths  of  some  late  novel,  or  the  morning  news- 
paper ;  consequently  passengers  were  not  informed  of 
stops.  This  necessitated  constant  watchfulness  on 
the  part  of  the  weary  traveler  lest  he  should  be  car- 
ried too  far  and  be  obliged  to  walk  back.  At  regular 
intervals  an  obliging  youth  made  his  appearance  to 
inform  us  that  "  meals  could  be  had  in  the  adjoining 
car."  More  from  curiosity  than  from  the  necessity  of 
appeasing  a  ravenous  appetite,  I  made  my  way  to  the 
dining-car,  which  was  a  most  primitive  affair.  The 
odor  of  steak  and  onions  and  stale  boiling  coffee  bore 
down  upon  me  as  I  entered.  In  the  corner,  fenced 
off  by  an  iron  grating,  stood  the  cooking  apparatus. 
From  the  grating,  extending  lengthwise  through  the 
car,  was  a  counter  behind  which  stood  a  boy  ready  to 
dispense  "  hot  steak  and  onions,  chops  and  tea  or  cof- 
fee." I  gave  my  order  and  stood — to  aid  digestion 
meals  were  taken  standing — while  it  was  being  pre- 
pared. Having  squandered  part  of  my  substance  on 
this  luxuriant  living  I  returned  to  the  coach,  and  kept 
an  lookout  to  avoid  being  carried  past  my  destination. 

Wellington,  the  capital,  is  situated  on  a  bay  shel- 


86  NEfV  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

tered  by  surrounding  hills,  and  forms  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  harbors  of  the  New  Zealand  coast.  The 
chief  drawback  is  a  strong  wind  that  sweeps  the  bay 
at  least  nine  months  of  the  year. 

The  city  is  not  especially  attractive.  The  principal 
object  of  interest  is  a  fine  specimen  of  native  carv- 
ing— a  Naon  house,  a  valuable  relic  of  ancient  work 
purchased  by  the  government  for  the  small  sum  of  five 
hundred  dollars.  The  house  was  built  many  years 
ago  as  a  monument  to  Camata  Waaka  Tuarrgere, 
elder  brother  of  the  chief  of  the  natives.  It  was 
erected  on  the  Island  of  Mana,  in  Poverty  Bay,  and 
is  of  carved  totra,  a  costly  native  wood.  The  work 
was  done  by  some  of  the  most  celebrated  wood-work- 
ers of  that  day.  The  building  is  forty-three  feet  long, 
twelve  feet  wide,  and  contains  thirty-four  figures 
intended  to  represent  the  most  noted  ancestors  for 
many  generations  past.  The  work  surpasses  any- 
thing of  the  kind  executed  by  the  present  generation, 
and  it  was  a  happy  thought  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment to  secure  and  preserve  this  example  of  ancient 
native  handiwork.  The  figures  are  all  about  the 
same  size  in  height,  and  to  the  casual  observer  seem 
much  alike  ;  but  when  a  native  enters  the  room  he  at 
once  recognizes  the  figures  representing  the  stock  from 
which  his  family  has  descended.  The  panels  are 
carved  on  one  side  only,  and  are  placed,  with  the  most 
striking  effect,  at  regular  intervals  of  about  four  feet 
along  the  sides  of  the  room.  In  the  same  house  is  a 
large  collection  of  native  gods,  the  worship  of  which 
has  long  since  been  abandoned. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    "model   prison"    AT   PORT  ARTHUR. 

I  HE  supreme  disadvantage  of  travel  in  New 
Zealand  is  the  necessity  for  so  much  of  it 
being  done  in  small  steamers.  No  sooner 
has  the  weary  pilgrim  recovered  from  the  prostrating 
effects  of  one  voyage  than  another  must  be  entered 
on.  With  a  bravery  borne  of  soul-harrowing  experi- 
ences, and  with  a  resolution  worthy  of  any  enterprise, 
I  boarded  the  steamer  for  the  southern  port ;  and  at 
last,  after  a  repetition  of  familiar  tribulations,  we 
came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Lyttleton,  on  the 
east  coast  of  the  South  Island.  The  city  is  built  in 
the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano,  which  surrounds  it 
with  high  hills  known  as  "The  Seven  Sleepers."  On 
the  summit  of  each  hill,  clear-cut  against  the  blue 
sky,  can  be  traced  an  outline  resembling  a  person  in 
a  recumbent  attitude.  One  of  these  outlines  is  so  well 
defined  that  it  bears  a  striking  semblance  of  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  and  has  been  so  named.  In  this 
neighborhood  lies  the  quiet,  sleepy  Port  of  Christ 
Church,  which  is  passed  on  the  way  to  Dunedin,  the 
most  interesting  journey  by  rail  on  either  island. 

As  we  left  the  mountains,  there  was  unfolded  to 
our  gaze  a  great  fertile  valley,  extending  into  the  far 
distance,  and  beyond  it  a  range  of  lofty  mountains, 
rugged  and  seamed  by  time  and  the  ceaseless  action 


88  NE  W  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

of  the  elements.  This  sheltering  range  protects  the 
smiling  valley  at  its  foot  from  the  hot  and  withering 
winds  of  summer,  and  the  blighting  chill  of  winter. 
The  scene  throughout  the  day  was  a  continuance  of 
valley-land  which  bore  every  aspect  of  a  prosperous, 
happy  farm  life,  so  softened  by  the  touch  of  nature 
that  it  brought  all  things  to  a  complete  harmonious 
whole.  When  night  overtook  us  travel  came  to  an 
end,  for  in  this  country  man  and  engine  alike  must 
rest,  which  is  not  a  bad  plan  for  those  who  make 
traveling  a  business.  At  this  point,  two  hundred 
miles  still  separated  me  from  the  spot  where  the 
grand  old  Pacific  rolled  in  its  never-fading  majesty 
and  its  never-failing  attempt  to  impress  the  traveler 
with  its  power. 

A  whole  week  of  sea  was  before  me.  How  my 
very  soul  sickened  at  the  thought !  How  I  rejoiced 
in  the  words,  "  There  shall  be  no  more  sea."  How  I 
wanted  to  stand  on  the  beach  and  declaim  to  the 
waves  !  I  longed  to  use  large  English  at  the-m,  and 
remind  them  that  the  time  would  come  when  the  last 
drop  of  water  would  be  drained  from  the  fathomless 
depths,  and  even  the  echo  of  their  song  would  have 
died  into  unending  silence  !  Just  as  I  was  arranging 
in  my  mind  a  little  good,  strong  English,  a  sudden 
gale  sprung  up  and  almost  blew  us  into  the  bay,  and 
we  sought  shelter  in  the  steamer.  As  if  responding 
to  my  mental  declamation,  the  storm  broke  upon  us 
in  awful  fury.  The  dark,  angry  clouds  hung  heavy 
on  the  hills,  and  as  they  were  reflected  in  the  water 
below  one  could  almost  imagine  the  sky  lay  stretched 


NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA.  91 

upon  the  earth.  The  soothing  (?)  motion  of  the 
steamer  began  before  we  had  cast  off  from  our  moor- 
ings. If  I  had  signed  a  contract  to  ' '  keep  my  berth 
down"  for  a  week  I  would  not  have  done  it  more 
faithfully.  The  most  fertile  imagination  could  never 
conceive  the  "  sensation  "  in  a  real  storm  at  sea,  un- 
less it  had  been  experienced.  The  Captain  was 
lashed  to  the  bridge,  and  never  left  his  post  for  forty- 
eight  hours.  The  wind  whistled  through  the  rig- 
ging with  a  piping  voice,  so  human-like  that  it  caused 
a  continuous  shudder.  The  heavy  tread  of  the  watch- 
man could  be  heard  as  he  paced  up  and  down,  and 
twice  in  that  night,  which  seemed  to  be  endless,  we 
heard  him  call,  "All  is  well !  "  The  stewardess  came 
to  tie  me  into  the  berth,  and  inform  me  that  all  cook- 
ing operations  were  suspended  for  the  day  !  The 
thoughts  of  a  lifetime  came  trooping  before  me  as  I  lay 
in  this  storm-tossed  vessel  in  mid-ocean,  knowing  we 
were  simply  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  the  waves. 
Two  days  later  we  reached  in  safety  the  Island  of 
Tasmania.  This  small  island  is  one  of  the  colonies  of 
Australasia.  Although  it  is  only  sixteen  hours  from 
here  to  the  shores  of  the  main  island,  for  some  reason 
it  seems  completely  shut  oflf  from  the  world.  More- 
over, it  lies  under  the  disadvantage  of  having  been 
one  of  the  places  to  which  England  formerly  banished 
the  lawless ;  and  though  this  element  can  now  scarcely 
be  traced,  most  of  the  criminals  being  dead,  yet  I  can 
but  believe  that  the  influences  of  the  early  settlement 
still  have  something  to  do  with  the  lack  of  progress 
at  the  present  time  in  the  island. 


92  NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

The  climate  is  perfectly  delightful ;  for  an  all-round 
climate,  where  one  must  abide  the  whole  year,  I  know 
of  none  other  like  it.  A  strange  atmosphere  pervades 
the  whole  island ;  it  reminds  one  of  the  scripture  text, 
"As  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  shall  be 
for  evermore."  The  home  life  is  charming  beyond 
description.  If  anyone  is  seen  rushing  along  the 
streets,  at  once  a  report  is  circulated  that  a  stranger  is 
in  town — for  a  native  Tasmanian  was  never  known  to 
hurry.  There  is  a  complete  absence  of  distinguished 
persons.  The  only  one  I  have  ever  heard  of  hailing 
from  these  parts  is  Mrs.  Humphrey  Ward,  who  was 
born  in  Hobart.  The  scenery  between  Hobart  and 
Launceston  is  beautiful.  It  is  especially  marked  by 
the  growth  of  the  fern  tree,  which  is  a  native  of  the 
island,  and  adds  a  picturesque  effect  to  the  landscape. 

Port  Arthur  is  a  place  of  great  interest,  that  is,  if 
one  wishes  to  learn  where  the  prisoners  of  early  days 
lived  and  how  they  were  treated.  The  town  is  reached 
in  a  few  hours  by  boat  from  Hobart ;  the  trip  gives 
one  a  very  good  idea  of  the  general  coast-line,  and 
Port  Arthur  itself  is  still  attractive.  To  my  mind  the 
object  of  greatest  interest  was  the  old  man  who  had 
been  banished  from  England  for  life  for  stealing  some 
candy  from  a  counter  in  a  bakery  to  which  he  had 
been  sent  for  bread.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  he  was 
very  old,  and  had  formed  such  an  attachment  for  the 
place  that  he  could  not  be  tempted  to  leave  it.  He 
met  the  steamers  when  they  arrived,  and  acted  as 
general  guide  to  the  visitors. 

The  old  church,  which  years  ago  was  one  of  the 


A  Tasmanian  View. 


NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA.  93 

largest  on  the  island,  is  now  in  ruins,  but  the  "  model 
prison  ' '  was  built  with  such  strength  that  it  remains 
complete  to  the  present  day. 

This  prison  was  considered  the  most  perfect  struct- 
ure ever  erected  for  such  uses,  and  was,  perhaps,  the 
greatest  device  ever  known  for  inhuman  treatment. 
It  so  far  surpassed  anything  else  that  it  was  regarded 
as  the  crowning  touch  of  latter  day  civilization.  In 
grateful  recognition  of  this  master-stroke  for  carrying 
out  the  sum  of  all  cruelties,  the  government  pardoned 
the  life-convict  in  whose  fertile  brain  the  plan  of  this 
prison  originated.  The  building  was  made  of  heavy 
stone,  quarried  near  by,  and  was  so  well  built  that  the 
years  have  left  no  trace  upon  it.  The  whipping-post, 
a  heavy  iron  pillar,  still  stands  ;  and  if  it  could  speak, 
the  very  air  would,  doubtless,  become  laden  with  the 
groans  of  the  suffering.  The  recreation  ground  was 
a  small  yard  surrounded  by  high  walls ;  to  this  the 
prisoners  were  driven  out  every  day  and  allowed  so 
many  "  rounds,"  twenty  rounds  making  a  mile. 

When  it  was  necessary  to  inflict  extra  punishment 
the  criminal  was  marched  into  a  dark  cell  and  kept 
on  bread  and  water  served  but  once  a  day.  I  entered 
this  cell,  whose  very  walls  might  well  cry  out  in 
protest  against  the  wrongs  perpetrated  in  the  name  of 
justice.  Four  great  iron  doors,  double  bolted,  barred 
and  locked,  shut  in  the  helpless  and  hopeless  victim. 
Ventilation  was  not  a  consideration,  for  to  admit  air 
was  to  give  light,  and  this  vile  den  was  intended 
to  exclude  every  glimmer  of  day.  The  blackness 
was  awful  beyond  description.     Into  this  chamber  of 


94  NE  W  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

horrors  were  thrust  men  and  women  who  in  any  pos- 
sible way  had  rebelled  against  their  conditions. 

This  direful  institution  was  called  the  "prison  of 
silence,"  and  was  used  in  punishment  of  a  variety  of 
oflfenses.  Criminals  were  sent  there  to  be  disciplined 
only,  and  while  within  the  walls  were  not  allowed  to 
utter  a  sound ;  neither  were  they  given  any  occupa- 
tion ;  their  lot  was  to  sit  in  silence  for  days  or  weeks. 
The  utterance  of  a  single  word  meant  either  the  dark 
room  or  the  whipping-post. 

I  was  surprised  when  the  old  convict  to  whom  I 
have  alluded  took  us  to  a  large  room  and  said,  "This 
is  the  chapel  where  they  preached  to  us  on  Sundays 
and  told  us  what  miserable  wretches  we  were."  The 
room  was  of  circular  form,  and  the  pews  were  fear- 
fully and  wonderfully  made ;  they  extended  around 
the  room  from  a  door  on  the  right  to  a  door  on  the 
left,  and  were  so  constructed  that  the  "worshipers" 
could  see  the  preacher  only.  These  pews  were  in 
reality  only  stalls  large  enough  to  seat  one  prisoner  ; 
the  distance  between  the  rows  was  about  two  feet, 
and  the  benches  were  partitioned  oflf  at  regular  inter- 
vals with  small  doors  that  swung  either  way.  As 
the  prisoner  was  driven  in  on  Sundays  he  passed 
through  a  number  of  these  doors,  and  when  his  own 
number  was  reached  he  took  his  seat  on  a  bench  so 
elevated  that  it  left  his  feet  dangling  in  space.  The 
back  and  sides  of  each  row  of  seats  were  so  high  that 
the  occupant  of  one  stall  could  not  see  the  occupant  of 
another.  Each  prisoner  was  cooped  in  by  himself. 
In  the  center  of  the  room  the  large  circular  pulpit  — 


^ ' "    \t 


\  -'^^ 


^>«*  ^    ,    *  ^ 


NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA.  97 

with  soft,  pretty  drapery,  luxurious  velvet  cushions,  and 
a  beautifully  bowid  Bible  —  was  filled  twice  each  Sun- 
day by  a  preacher  who  was  paid  by  the  government 
to  interpret  Divine  mercy  to  the  unhappy  victim  of  a 
cruel  and  unjust  law  !  I^eaving  the  chapel  the  pris- 
oners, in  profound  silence,  were  marched  to  their  cells 
to  meditate  upon  the  ' '  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the 
brotherhood  of  man,"  and  feel  thankful  that  they 
were  created  to  become  the  means  through  which  a 
government  preacher  could  gain  an  honest  livelihood. 

An  enterprising  clergyman  has  recently  purchased 
of  the  government  the  prison  and  grounds  for  a  small 
sum,  and  the  whole  is  being  converted  into  a  pleasure 
resort.  It  is  no  longer  open  as  a  show  place.  Most 
of  the  striking  prison  features  are  being  removed  ; 
and  the  pews  and  the  pulpit  have  been  taken  from  the 
chapel.  I  do  not  know  what  will  be  done  with  these 
relics  ;  perhaps  they  are  to  be  placed  in  the  archives 
of  the  nation  that  future  generations  may  look  on  and 
better  appreciate  the  progress  of  their  own  day. 
The  chapel  has  been  turned  into  a  billiard-room, 
where  the  walls  will  resound  with  the  voices  of 
merry-makers  who  seek  to  kill  time  and  care.  The 
partitions  separating  the  cells  will  be  torn  away,  and 
spacious  bedrooms  with  soft  beds  and  downy  pillows 
will  invite  the  weary  pilgrims  to  rest  in  this  spot 
made  sacred  by  the  "  hand  of  oppression." 

While  at  Port  Arthur  I  met  a  government  sur- 
veyor who  had  come  across  the  grave  of  a  felon  who 
was  whipped  to  death.  A  rough  stone  marked  the 
spot,  and  in  rudely  chiseled  letters  we  read  the  fate  of 


98  NEW  ZEALAND  AND  TASMANIA. 

a  ' '  prisoner  convict."  In  digging  to  plant  a  post  near 
by,  a  skull  was  unearthed  which  was  supposed  to  be 
that  of  some  one  who  had  suffered  a  like  death.  The 
surveyor  had  carefully  wrapped  it  up,  and  was  about 
to  send  it  to  the  National  Museum,  but  learning  that 
I  had  an  accumulation  of  curiosities  from  all  parts  of 
the  world  he  kindly  donated  it  to  my  collection. 

It  would  be  a  great  thing  for  the  prosperity  of  the 
island  if  these  buildings,  that  have  made  such  a  sad, 
pitiful  record  in  human  history,  could  be  leveled  to 
the  ground,  and  the  last  stone  cast  into  the  depths  of 
the  sea. 


JAPAN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    MIKADO. — JAPANESE    CHARACTERISTICS. 

IHE  world  generally  is  applauding  the  brav- 
ery, courage  and  pluck  of  the  Japanese. 
Whole  volumes  are  being  written  to  record 
their  valiant  deeds,  and  the  daily  press  sounds  their 
praises  far  and  near.  So,  I  turn  back  the  pages  of 
my  note-book  to  read  my  impressions  of  the  race  and 
country  derived  from  personal  observation. 

The  women  of  Yokohama  expected  me  to  reach 
their  shores  on  a  certain  day,  and  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  go,  off  to  the  ship  to  welcome  me  and 
escort  me  to  the  capital.  We  anchored  one  morning 
about  a  mile  from  the  wharf.  While  engaged  in 
preparation  to  go  ashore  I  heard  someone  ask  if  I 
were  a  passenger.  Going  on  deck  I  found  about 
twenty  Japanese  ladies  waiting  to  greet  me,  and  see 
that  I  landed  in  safety.  They  were  accompanied  by 
one  solitary  man,  who  announced  that  he  had  come 
to  welcome  me  on  behalf  of  his  countrymen.  The 
Japanese  are  so  polite,  and  possessed  of  such  grace  of 
manner  that  they  are  frequently  called  the  French  of 


lOO  JAPAN. 

the  East.  Special  attention  is  paid  to  foreign  ladies  ; 
nothing  is  left  undone  that  can  add  to  their  comfort. 
This  gentleman  heard  that  I  had  been  seasick  during 
the  voyage,  so  he  made  me  his  charge  in  landing. 
As  I  was  about  to  cross  the  deck  he  ofifered  his  arm 
to  conduct  me  down  the  steps  into  the  boat.  I  tow- 
ered nearly  two  feet  above  him,  and  as  I  stooped 
down  to  take  his  arm  my  only  thought  —  which 
amounted  to  a  fear — was,  if  I  should  fall  upon  this 
man  he  never  would  know  what  killed  him  ;  but  we 
reached  the  wharf  in  safety.  A  hurried  drive  brought 
us  to  the  station,  whence  in  a  few  minutes  we  were 
whirling  northward  toward  the  capital. 

The  journey  was  a  delightful  one,  surrounded  by 
these  charming,  modest  little  women,  who  looked  on 
me  as  a  born  curiosity.  The  railroad  passed  through 
a  beautiful  valley  ;  one  side  was  hemmed  in  by  tower- 
ing hills,  and  the  other  stretched  down  to  the  water's 
edge.  The  air  was  soft  and  balmy,  and  the  tide  was 
out,  so  there  was  no  splash  and  dash  of  the  waves  as 
they  now  and  then  kissed  the  sandy  beach,  rolling 
back  again  to  gather  force  for  another  caress.  The 
voice  of  the  sea  was  scarcely  more  than  a  gentle 
murmur  that  came  like  a  soothing  lullaby  to  the 
weary  traveler. 

Traveling  is  much  slower  here  than  in  England  or 
America,  and  has  a  decided  advantage  in  giving  the 
traveler  a  chance  to  see  as  he  goes.  Thus  we  jour- 
neyed on,  skirting  the  beach  until  Tokio  was  reached, 
the  capital  of  the  empire  and  the  home  of  the  Mi- 
kado. 


JAPAN.      •  101 

At  this  particular  time,  when  the  eye  of  the  world 
is  on  the  victorious  sons  of  Japan,  who  are  making 
history  toward  which  the  unnumbered  hosts  of  the 
future  will  point  with  pride,  there  stands  out  among 
the  brave,  heroic  and  progressive  spirits  one  of  the 
most  striking  characters  of  the  century.  Unless  one 
has  visited  the  far  East,  and  made  one's  self  familiar  by 
observation  with  the  peculiar  surroundings  that  have 
from  time  immemorial  hedged  in  the  rulers  of  these 
conservative  lands,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  understand 
just  what  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  Emperor  of 
Japan  means. 

When  the  Mikado  came  to  the  throne  of  his  fathers, 
the  one  hundred  and  twenty-first  ruler  of  his  line  — 
for  he  claims  an  unbroken  descent  from  Jummu 
Terno,  Son  of  Heaven,  who  ruled  660  B.  C. —  he  was 
only  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  had  lived  the  life  to 
which  imperial  princes  for  ages  have  been  restricted, 
and  had  positively  no  knowledge  of  the  world,  and 
little  foundation  for  character  that  must  lead,  and  at 
the  same  time  rule,  forty  millions  of  people.  At  that 
time  the  Mikado  was  supposed  to  be  the  spiritual 
leader  of  the  people,  rather  than  the  ruler,  the  Sho- 
guns  really  possessing  the  temporal  power.  Some 
centuries  ago  the  military  leaders,  styling  themselves 
Tycoons,  assumed  the  power  of  government,  leaving 
only  titular  honors  to  the  emperor.  The  Tycoons 
ruled  with  a  high  hand  until  Mutso  Hito  came  to  the 
throne,  when  there  was  a  general  demand  on  the  part 
of  his  subjects  that  war  be  waged  with  the  Tycoons, 
who  had  so  long   kept  the  real   ruler  in  the  back- 


102  JAPAN. 

ground.  Therefore  it  was  that  in  1868,  when  only 
seventeen  years  of  age,  out  stepped  this  boy  ruler 
into  the  nineteenth  century  sunlight  of  progress,  and 
brought  about  the  subjection  of  the  Tycoons,  who 
retired  into  the  quietude  of  private  life ;  and  thus  the 
complete  restoration  of  power  to  the  emperor  took 
place. 

The  spirit  of  reform  was  born  in  the  new  ruler.  In 
a  short  time  he  received  the  representatives  of  other 
countries,  being  the  first  emperor  who  ever  sat  in 
state  council.  Three  years  later  he  sent  a  commis- 
sion of  fift3  picked  men  around  the  world  to  study 
systems  of  education,  and  western  art  and  science. 
He  was  especially  favorable  to  the  education  of  wo- 
men. Realizing  that  much  of  real  character-molding 
devolves  upon  the  mother,  it  seemed  to  him  that  the 
better  education  of  woman  would  aid  greatly  in  laying 
a  sure  foundation  for  the  future  progress  of  the  nation. 

Less  than  two  years  after  his  accession  Mutso  Hito 
took  unto  himself  a  noble  woman  to  share  the  duties 
of  his  high  position.  In  marriage  the  emperor  is  no 
more  allowed  to  make  a  love  match  than  is  his  mean- 
est subject ;  nor  is  he  allowed  to  take  his  wife  from 
any  branch  of  the  imperial  family  ;  she  is  chosen  from 
the  daughters  of  the  five  highest  noble  families.  Im- 
agine this  youth,  less  than  twenty  years  of  age,  stand- 
ing before  a  line  of  blushing  maidens,  of  whom  he  has 
little  knowledge,  and  looking  them  over  much  as  he 
might  a  stock  of  merchandise  from  which  to  select  the 
material  for  a  garment !  Knowing  nothing  of  them, 
he  must  base  his  choice  largely  on  good  looks.     I 


JAPAN.  103 

fancy  I  see  him  as  his  eye  runs  up  and  down  the  line, 
grasping  quickly  the  features  upon  which  he  will  de- 
cide. And  these  poor  girls  !  how  they  must  have 
felt  to  be  inspected  from  head  to  foot — to  be  chosen 
for  looks,  or  for  some  feature  that  might  have  a  spe- 
cial attraction  for  his  majesty  !  What  must  their 
feelings  have  been  as  he  walked  up  and  down  the 
line,  passing  one  after  another  till  his  choice  was 
made,  and  from  the  ranks  there  walked  out  one  envied 
of  all  the  rest  ! 

Besides  the  selection  of  this  one  woman,  who  is  rec- 
ognized as  the  head  of  his  household,  and  who  alone 
has  claim  to  the  title  of  empress,  the  emperor  may 
choose  eleven  concubines.  These  women  are  consid- 
ered perfectly  reputable,  for  they  are  selected  from  the 
best  families.  Each  is  established  in  quarters  of  her 
own,  consisting  of  five  or  six  apartments,  and  has 
one  attendant  of  certain  rank  to  wait  upon  her,  each 
attendant  having  also  her  servant ;  thus  they  form  a 
sort  of  community  to  themselves. 

The  Mikado's  choice  of  an  empress  proved  a  very 
happy  one.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  noble  of  high- 
est birth  with  a  spirit  equally  progressive  as  that  of 
the  emperor.  She  is  deeply  imbued  with  western 
ideas,  and  thoroughly  believes  in  the  fullest  education 
of  women.  She  has  manifested  unbounded  interest  in 
the  school  established  for  noblemen's  daughters,  where 
education  in  its  varied  branches  is  carried  on  under 
competent  teachers. 

During  my  visit  to  Japan  I  spent  some  time  in  the 
school  among  these  charming  young  women,  who  are 


104  JAPAN. 

as  eager  to  adopt  western  ways  as  is  the  empress  her- 
self. The  one  great  grief  of  the  imperial  household 
is  that  the  empress  has  no  children  of  her  own.  Ten 
children  of  the  concubines  have  come  to  untimely 
deaths,  and  two  princesses,  frail,  delicate  little  creat- 
ures, alone  remain.  At  one  time,  when  the  emperor 
supposed  he  would  be  left  without  an  heir  to  the 
throne,  he  adopted  Arisugana  Takihite,  whom  he 
intended  to  succeed  him  ;  but  when  I  was  in  the 
country  Prince  Takihite  had  been  dispossessed,  and 
Prince  Haru  had  been  proclaimed  Heir  Apparent  and 
Crown  Prince.  Since  then  a  law  has  been  passed  pro- 
hibiting the  son  of  a  concubine  from  inheriting  title 
or  ascending  the  throne.  The  heir  in  future  must  be 
the  child  of  the  emperor  and  empress,  or  the  succes- 
sion passes  to  some  branch  of  the  family.  This,  how- 
ever, will  not  affect  the  present  prince,  who  is  the  son 
of  the  emperor  and  Madame  Yanagewara. 

Foreign  dress  has  been  adopted  at  court,  and 
numerous  and  amusing  are  the  tales  related  of  the 
women  who  don  these  garments  so  ' '  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made."  Accustomed  as  they  are  to  ease 
and  comfort  in  clothing,  it  was  truly  a  sorry  day  when 
they  tried  to  ape  western  customs  and  entered  upon 
a  struggle  with  our  barbarous  manner  of  dress.  They 
certainly  deserve  the  martyr's  crown,  and,  indeed,  I 
doubt  if  that  would  be  adequate  compensation  for  the 
torture  inflicted  by  these  unaccustomed  garments. 

When  I  attended  the  Tokio  dress  reform  society, 
and  was  asked  to  express  an  opinion  concerning  the 
introduction  of  a  new  mode  of  attire,  I  was  in  doubt 


JAPAN.  105 

for  a  few  moments  what  to  say.  I  looked  at  them  in 
their  long,  loose  gowns  with  roomy  sleeves,  saw  that 
they  could  trip  about  with  a  degree  of  grace,  and 
certainly  with  great  comfort,  and  then  I  thought  of 
my  own  manner  of  dress — of  all  the  stringing,  strap- 
ping, binding,  lacing  and  hooking  !  Why  it  is  like 
rigging  a  ship,  to  get  a  woman  into  her  clothes  in 
these  days  !  Especially  was  it  so  at  the  period  of  my 
visit  to  Japan,  for  it  was  the  time  when  woman  was 
going  about  (I  almost  blush  to  think  of  it)  with  a 
hump  on  her  back  like  that  of  a  camel.  Since  that 
fashion  has  become  a  thing  of  the  past,  I  have  often 
wondered  what  we  would  do  if  we  were  born  with 
such  a  hump ;  I  believe  we  would  lie  on  our  backs  all 
the  days  of  our  lives,  trying  to  flatten  it  out.  I  am 
often  amazed  at  our  lack  of  intelligence  in  matters  of 
dress.  We  weigh  down  our  poor,  tired  bodies  with 
as  many  pounds  of  cloth  as  we  can  carry,  and  load 
our  heads  with  cockades  and  feathers  until  we  look 
top-heavy  and  lop-sided  ;  then  we  go  to  the  mirror, 
and  the  reflection  so  charms  us  that  we  exclaim 
' '  How  lovely  ! ' '  We  are  then  in  quite  the  proper 
frame  of  mind  to  hasten  off  to  the  benighted  heathen, 
and  preach  to  them  of  the  higher  civilization  and 
what  it  has  done  for  woman.  They  listen  to  our 
words,  for  they  are  astonished  at  our  appearance,  and 
simply  exclaim,  "  These  poor  barbarians  !  Don't  they 
know  any  better  ?  ' '  pitying  us  from  the  bottom  of 
their  hearts. 

Aware  of  all  this,  my  only  reply  to  the  Tokio  dress 
reformers  was,  "Your  costume  is  most   comfortable. 


ro6-  JAPAN. . 

and  very  becoming,  and  were  I  a  Japanese  lady  I 
would  always  wear  it."  The  women  of  Asia  have  suf- 
fered much  from  long  established  customs,  but  of  one 
thing,  at  least,  they  should  ever  be  grateful  to  their 
ancestors  —  they  have  handed  down  from  century  to 
century,  a  style  of  dress  in  perfect  keeping  with  the 
laws  of  health  and  altogether  modest  in  design. 

In  comparing  the  Chinese  with  the  Japanese  the 
world  generally  is  very  apt  to  overrate  the  latter. 
This  is  especially  true  at  this  moment  when  great 
victories  have  been  achieved  which  seem  to  indicate 
the  superiority  of  the  Japanese  over  his  neighbor. 
Victory  in  war,  however,  is  no  criterion  upon  wiich 
to  base  our  opinions  of  the  people  of  these  nations. 
While  it  is  true  that  Japan  has  made  great  progress, 
and  exhibited  a  spirit  of  willingness  to  adopt  im- 
proved methods  of  government  and  throw  the  coun- 
try open  to  the  world,  it  is  by  no  means  true  that  it 
is  in  every  respect  superior  to  China.  Japan  excels 
in  warfare  ;  but  that,  after  all,  is  onl}'^  a  relic  of  bar- 
barism, and  modern  methods  of  carrying  on  whole- 
sale murder  and  butchery  surpass  in  barbarity  any- 
thing known  in  the  darkest  ages.  Hence  I  say,  the 
fact  that  a  nation  is  victorious  in  warfare  indicates 
little  beyond  power  for  organization.  Comparing  the 
two  countries  from  the  stand-point  of  intellect  I  should 
say  the  Chinaman  stands  first.  In  morals,  it  is  a  case 
of  "  drawing  straws  " ;  but  for  logic  and  philosophy, 
give  me  the  Chinese. 

We  of  the  West,  who  do  not  know  these  people  in 
their  home  lives,  but  judge  of  the  whole  race  by  the 


JAPAN.  107 

scattering  few  who  come  to  our  shores,  fail  to  recog- 
nize this  fact  :  those  who  leave  China  are  chiefly 
coolies — very  few  of  the  better  class,  and  none  of  the 
high-caste,  leave  their  country.  With  the  Japanese  it 
is  just  the  reverse ;  few  go  abroad  to  engage  in  the 
lower  occupations  ;  and  most  of  those  who  are  found 
within  our  borders  are  either  here  to  attend  school 
or  carry  on  business.  Japanese  coolies  are  unknown. 
As  a  consequence  we  are  constantly  comparing  the 
higher  class  of  Japanese  with  the  coolie  Chinese.  I 
have  lived  in  both  countries  ;  I  have  journeyed  away 
from  the  beaten  tracks  of  travel,  and  have  had  every 
opportunity  of  judging  the  comparative  merits  of  the 
two  peoples.  It  is  true  that  the  Chinaman  is  slow  to 
grasp  an  idea  ;  but  when  he  comes  to  a  decision  it  is 
because  he  has  seen  the  philosophy  of  it,  and  from 
this  follows  a  logical  deduction  from  which  it  is  al- 
most impossible  to  move  him.  The  Japanese  are 
more  emotional,  and  if  their  better  self  is  appealed 
to  they  move  at  once  ;  but  when  the  influence  that 
has  affected  them  is  withdrawn  they  usually  slip  back 
to  old  ways  and  methods.  Because  of  this  character- 
istic the  missionaries  do  not  know  just  how  far  to 
count  on  them  when  Christian  influence  is  removed. 
It  is  a  conceded  fact  that  the  Japanese  excel  in  brav- 
ery, as  the  recent  war  fully  illustrates.  The  Chinese 
are  known  to  be  cowards,  and  have  usually  returned 
from  battle  with  trailing  colors.  So  deeply  seated  is 
this  element  of  cowardice  that  such  a  thing  as  a  great 
Chinese  general  will  probably  never  be  known. 
Perhaps  it  is  just  as  well,  for  if  ever  they  become  a 


io8  JAPAN. 

courageous,  warlike  people,  with  their  uncounted  mil- 
lions they  would  soon  capture  the  world. 

The  Japanese  seem  never  to  have  drawn  the  line 
between  time  and  eternity,  and  if  it  were  not  occasion- 
ally so  exasperating,  it  would  be  really  refreshing  to 
move  among  men  and  women  who  take  time  to  live  ; 
but  when  one  goes  rushing  over  the  land,  anxious  to 
see  everything  at  once,  and  get  away  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, it  is  sometimes  a  great  drain  on  one's  reserved 
fund  of  grace  to  possess  one's  soul  in  peace  and  wait 
for  the  slow  action  of  the  natives.  It  is  impossible  to 
hurry  them ;  you  might  just  as  well  harness  a  snail, 
hoping  to  urge  it  into  a  gallop,  as  to  try  to  impress 
it  upon  the  Japanese  that  "time  is  money." 

The  country  is  beautiful,  and  much  of  its  beauty  is 
due  to  the  fact  of  which  I  have  just  written ;  the 
people  take  time  to  cultivate  it  properly.  It  is  no 
uncommon  sight  to  see  a  man  with  a  wooden  plough 
going  over  a  small  tract  of  land,  and  another  follow- 
ing with  grain,  planting  it  in  rows  with  as  much  care 
as  we  would  set  out  cabbage  or  tomato  plants.  On 
the  whole  I  should  say  that  there  is  scarcely  a  race  of 
people  who  derive  more  real  enjoyment  from  life  than 
do  the  Japanese. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A   GLIMPSE   OF   NATIVE   LIFE. 

|HE  women  of  Japan  are  small — I  should  say 
the  smallest  of  the  Orient — their  average 
height  being  only  four  feet  six  inches. 
They  are  very  graceful,  have  clear  skin,  and  hair — 
in  which  they  take  special  pride — as  black  as  a 
raven's  wing.  The  hair  is  arranged  three  times  a 
week,  add  always  requires  the  assistance  of  a  barber. 
Even  then  the  process  of  oiling,  gluing  and  packing 
the  hair  into  a  great  pile  must  tax  the  time  and 
patience  of  these  women  beyond  all  measure. 

I  was  greatly  interested,  one  day,  watching  a  Jap- 
anese lady  undergoing  this  form  of  martyrdom.  She 
sat  on  the  floor  before  a  small  mirror  fastened  to  the 
top  of  what  we  would  call  a  toy  bureau.  The  bureau 
contained  three  drawers,  in  which  were  kept  her  arti- 
cles of  toilet — powder,  oil,  wax  and  tooth-paste.  The 
barber  began  operations,  and  after  an  hour  and  a  half 
of  hard  labor  accomplished  the  feat  of  massing  her 
hair  in  a  fashion  that  served  as  a  head-cover,  for 
neither  hats  nor  bonnets  are  worn  ;  in  fact,  the  only 
protection  for  the  head,  either  from  heat  or  cold,  is 
that  which  nature  has  given  it. 

After  the  hair  of  a  Japanese  woman  is  arranged  it 

takes  little  time  to  complete  her  toilet.     She  wears  no 

109 


1  lo  JAPAN. 

under  linen  whatever,  but  compensates  somewhat  for 
this  seeming  disregard  of  cleanliness  by  frequent 
baths.  Her  dress  is  especially  to  be  commended, 
both  for  grace  and  comfort.  It  is  one  garment — a 
loose  robe  that  hangs  from  the  shoulders  to  the  feet. 
A  belt,  or  scarf,  called  an  obi,  is  always  worn  about 
the  waist,  and  varies  in  beauty  according  to  the  sta- 
tion of  the  wearer.  It  is  wrapped  two  or  three  times 
around  the  waist,  and  fastened  in  the  back  in  the 
form  of  a  knapsack,  which  gives  additional  width  to 
the  figure,  though  it  cannot  be  said  to  add  to  the 
beauty  of  the  costume.  The  obi  is  often  made  of  the 
richest  material,  beautifully  embroidered,  and  is  the 
special  pride  of  the  wearer. 

The  one  thing  that  greatly  mars  the  artistic  "  make- 
up "  of  a  Japanese  woman  is  the  foot-gear.  Stock- 
ings are  never  worn,  but  as  a  substitute  a  cotton  sock 
of  heavy  white  cloth,  with  canvas  sole,  is  donned. 
This  sock  has  a  slit  between  the  great  toe  and  its 
nearest  neighbor  to  admit  the  strap  by  which  the  san- 
dal is  fastened  to  the  foot.  The  sandals  are  of  great 
variety.  The  most  common  are  made  of  plaited 
straw — a  mere  sole  piece  with  a  loop  that  goes  over 
the  foot  just  below  the  instep  and  between  the  open- 
ing in  the  toe  of  the  sock.  Usually,  these  sandals 
are  too  small  for  the  foot,  which  hangs  over  at  the 
heel.  In  rainy  weather  a  kind  of  clog  is  worn — a 
common  sole  mounted  on  two  pieces  of  thin  wood 
about  four  inches  high  and  six  inches  apart.  This 
elevates  the  wearer  four  inches,  and  it  is  a  funny, 
sight  to  see  her  struggling  through  the  mud  in  ber 


JAPAN.  113 

narrow  dress,  with  toes  turned  in  trying  to  keep  the 
clogs  on  her  feet. 

The  peculiar  construction  of  the  houses,  and  a  com- 
plete absence  of  furniture  of  any  kind,  make  very 
light  housework  for  the  women.  In  the  rural  dis- 
tricts the  houses  are  very  small,  square  in  form,  with 
thatched  roofs.  Birds  often  drop  seeds  on  the  house- 
tops, or  the  wind  blows  them  into  the  thatching, 
where  they  take  root,  and  in  the  springtime  burst 
into  life  and  beauty.  These  bright  bits  of  green, 
peeping  out  from  the  roof,  lend  beauty  to  the  general 
landscape.  The  houses  are  usually  built  close  to  the 
streets,  and  glimpses  of  home  life  are  easily  caught 
by  the  passer-by.  In  the  cities  the  houses  are  two 
stories  high  ;  the  lower  part  is  given  up  to  business, 
and  the  upper  part  is  set  aside  for  the  living  rooms. 
The  front — as  are  sometimes  the  sides — is  made  of 
window-sashes,  which  slide  back  and  open  the  whole 
face  of  the  house  to  the  street.  Over  the  sashes  is 
pasted  white  rice-paper.  The  use  of  window-glass  is 
almost  unknown,  except  among  the  wealthy,  who 
have  copied  English  architecture.  The  floors  are 
covered  with  matting,  invariably  clean,  for  neither 
clog  nor  shoe  is  permitted  to  come  in  contact  with 
it — they  are  left  outside.  The  mats  are  always  of  a 
certain  size ;  a  house  or  piece  of  land  is  said  to  be  "  so 
many  mats  square."  These  mats  are  made  of  raw 
straw,  very  skillfully  plaited,  with  a  smooth,  close 
upper  side.  The  partitions  in  the  houses  are  not 
walls,  but  sliding  screens,  which  run  on  grooves,  and 
extend  about  two-thjrds  of  the  distance  to  the  ceiling. 


114  JAPAN. 

When  they  are  pushed  back  the  whole  house  is 
thrown  into  one  large  room,  which  is  perfectly  desti- 
tute of  furniture.  The  floor  serves  for  bed,  chairs 
and  table.  At  night  a  quilted  blanket  takes  the 
place  of  all  bedding.  The  inmates  of  the  house 
stretch  themselves  upon  the  yielding  matting,  some- 
times covered  with  a  clean  paper,  pull  the  quilt  over 
them,  and  place  their  heads  on  a  wooden  pillow, 
upon  which  the  neck  alone  rests.  Surely,  they  have 
little  need  for  a  bedstead  or  mattress. 

The  leading  ladies  of  the  capital  entertained  me  at 
a  native  dinner  at  the  Maple  Leaf  club-house,  of 
Tokio.  On  reaching  the  door,  I  was  requested  by  a 
servant  to  remove  my  shoes,  and  he  at  once  proceeded 
to  assist  me  in  complying  with  his  request,  no  one 
being  allowed  to  enter  a  house  or  temple  with  cov- 
ered feet.  No  matter  who  or  what  you  are,  off  must 
come  the  offending  shoes.  This  done,  I  ascended  a 
flight  of  broad  steps  and  reached  the  great  dining- 
hall,  which  was  without  furniture,  save  the  ever- 
present  matting.  There  was  nothing  to  sit  on  but 
the  floor.  These  little  creatures  drop  down  on  their 
knees  and  throw  themselves  back  on  their  heels — a 
position  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed  from 
childhood — and  the  attitude  so  well  becomes  them 
that  chairs  would  be  quite  out  of  place.  No  extra 
provision  had  been  made  for  me,  and  I,  too,  must 
sit  like  a  tailor,  or  squat  like  a  Turk.  Being  nearly 
two  yards  long,  I  found  it  no  easy  task  to  shut  myself 
up  like  a  jack-knife  ;  so,  camel-like,  I  got  down  by 
degrees  and  tried  to  assume  as  nearly  as  possible 


w^^-^app/trjT'i/.iui jiij.'iiliHiiiiiiMimin iii'iiMSiiJi  .V-'^"^ 


JAPAN.  115 

an  attitude  like  that  of  my  campanions,  but  even  this 
kept  me  so  far  from  the  floor,  that  I  was  forced  to 
sit  tailor-fashion,  in  order  to  reach  the  food. 

Pretty  girls  came  in  to  wait  on  us.  Before  each  of 
us  was  set  a  small  tray  containing  a  native  soup  with 
fish  dressing.  The  fish  is  eaten  raw ;  sometimes,  it 
is  said,  while  almost  alive.  This  was  the  first  of 
about  fifteen  courses.  After  an  hour  and  a  half  had 
elapsed,  the  party  broke  up.  The  food  that  was  not 
eaten  each  took  from  his  tray,  wrapped  a  white  paper 
napkin  around  it,  and  slipped  it  into  the  corner  of 
his  large,  roomy  sleeve.  This  is  also  a  custom  in 
private  houses  when  "  company  "  dinners  are  given. 

The  Japanese  are  much  more  liberal  in  their  treat- 
ment of  their  women  than  are  the  men  of  any  other 
part  of  the  Orient.  In  most  of  these  countries 
women  are  surrounded  by  cruel  prejudices  which, 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  compel  their  submission 
at  the  expense  of  their  greater  development  and  hap- 
piness. Although  the  Japanese  women  do  not  enjoy 
the  privileges  secured  to  their  sisters  of  Christian 
lands,  their  position  is  greatly  superior  to  that  of  any 
of  the  women  of  other  parts  of  the  East.  They  are, 
however,  without  legal  status,  and  their  evidence 
would  not  be  admitted  in  a  court  of  justice ;  hence 
they  are  wholly  dependent  upon  their  male  relatives 
for  protection. 

Upon  the  women  devolve  all  the  domestic  duties  of 
home  life,  in  addition  to  which  they  embroider,  clean, 
card  and  weave  native  cloth.     The  wives  of  trades- 


ii6  JAPAN. 

men  assist  their  husbands  in  business,  and  are  said  to 
be  very  shrewed  in  ' '  driving  a  bargain  ' '  with  foreign 
customers. 

Children  are  left  very  much  to  themselves ;  there  is 
little  mischief  they  can  get  into — no  chairs  to  knock 
about,  no  tables  to  overturn.  The  most  they  can  do 
is  to  pitch  and  tumble  about  on  the  soft  matting. 
The  older  children  look  after  the  younger,  which  re- 
lieves the  mother  of  much  care.  It  is  a  common 
sight  to  see  very  small  children  at  play  with  babies 
fastened  on  their  backs,  just  as  the  women  carry  them 
about  while  working  in  the  fields.  Their  playmates 
are  usually  a  peculiar  species  of  dog,  which  must  be 
related  to  the  cats  of  Java,  or  the  Isle  of  Man,  for 
they,  like  the  cats,  have  only  an  excuse  for  a  tail ;  it 
is  about  two  inches  long. 

The  only  important  event  in  the  life  of  a  child  be- 
fore marriage  is  the  ceremony  of  naming  it.  On  the 
thirteenth  day  after  its  birth  the  first  name  is  be- 
stowed. If  the  child  is  a  boy,  he  receives  an  addi- 
tional name  when  he  is  married,  and  another  if  he 
ever  becomes  a  government  officer  ;  this  continues,  as 
he  advances  in  rank,  so  long  as  he  lives.  After  death 
he  receives  his  last  name — the  one  to  be  carved  upon 
his  tombstone — by  which  his  memory  is  held  sacred. 
The  ceremony  of  naming  a  child  may  be  witnessed  at 
any  time  in  one  of  the  numerous  temples.  The  child 
is  brought  with  great  pomp  and  display  to  the  edifice 
where  his  parents  worship.  The  process  of  purifica- 
tion is  gone  through  ;  then  the  father  hands  the  priest 
a  piece  of  paper  with  three  names  written  upon  it. 


JAPAN.  117 

Each  name  is  copied  on  a  separate  piece  of  paper,  and 
placed  in  a  sacred  vessel.  They  are  then  shaken  up 
while  the  priest  repeats  prayers  over  them,  after  which 
he  throws  them  into  the  air,  and  the  first  piece  falling 
to  the  floor  indicates  the  name  which  the  gods  have 
decreed  shall  be  bestowed  upon  the  child.  The  name 
is  then  inscribed  upon  an  ornamental  piece  of  paper 
and  given  to  the  father.  The  priest  is  required  to 
register  the  child's  name  on  the  temple  roll,  which  is 
frequently  examined  by  government  oflScials. 


I 


CHAPTER  III. 

woman's  education  in  japan. 

OST  oriental  countries  boast  of  their  culture, 
but  education  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  male 
portion  of  the  population.  Women,  with 
but  few  exceptions — few  as  compared  with  the  masses 
— are  denied  the  first  rudiments  of  learning.  This  is 
not  so  true  of  the  women  of  Japan.  Boys  and  girls 
alike  are  sent  to  primary  schools,  and  since  the  advent 
of  missionaries  special  attention  has  been  given  to  the 
education  of  girls,  and  the  higher  education  of  woman 
is  an  oft-discussed  subject.  Many  of  them  aspire  to 
professions,  and  not  a  few  are  engaged  in  literary  pur- 
suits. In  Tokio  I  was  "  interviewed  "  by  a  lady  re- 
porter, who  was  one  of  the  staff  of  a  daily  paper 
conducted  by  a  woman.  One  of  the  best  temperance 
magazines  of  our  day  is  edited  and  owned  by  a  Japa- 
nese woman. 

While  in  Tokio  I  addressed  the  "Society  for  the 
Higher  Education  of  Woman."  The  meeting  was 
held  in  the  school  established  by  the  government  for 
noblemen's  daughters  ;  for  the  government  has  awak- 
ened to  the  fact  that  the  advancement  of  a  country 
depends  largely  on  the  development  and  education  of 
its  women.  The  embassadors  to  America,  England 
and  France  are  obliged  to  take  their  wives  with  them, 

?i8 


JAPAN.  119 

the  government  having  issued  the  following  order: 
"Our  women  are  all  backward  in  intelligence  for 
want  of  sound  education,  and  the  education  of  the 
children  goes  hand  in  hand  with  that  of  the  mothers, 
and  is  an  object  of  highest  importance  ;  therefore,  we 
desire  the  embassadors  to  take  with  them  their  wives, 
daughters  and  sisters,  that  they  may  learn  in  foreign 
lands  the  correct  system  of  instructing  children." 

The  meeting  to  which  I  refer  was  attended  by  about 
two  hundred  peeresses.  After  the  address  an  oppor- 
tunity was  given  to  ask  questions,  and  it  was  surpris- 
ing to  see  how  alive  they  were  to  all  that  pertains  to 
the  advancement  of  women.  They  recognized  the 
fact  that  the  true  elevation  of  the  country  depended 
on  their  own  improvement.  No  nation  can  move  on 
and  leave  its  women  behind  ;  it  can  only  progress  as 
women  keep  abreast  with  the  age.  Several  young 
girls  of  rank  have  been  sent  by  the  empress  to  the 
United  States  that  they  may  have  the  advantage  of 
our  best  schools.  Their  capacity  for  advanced  mental 
training  has  been  fully  established  by  their  high 
standing  in  their  classes,  and  the  fact  that  several  of 
them  have  carried  off  first  prizes  in  competition  with 
American  girls  of  their  own  age.  This  will  doubtless 
lead  to  placing  girls  throughout  the  empire  on  an 
equal  footing  with  boys  in  educational  privileges. 
Following  this  must  soon  come  the  legal  recognition 
of  women. 

Education  in  Japan  has  taken  a  remarkable  form 
among  some  of  the  better  classes  of  women.  The 
people  are  very  fond  of  assembling  to  listen  to  pro- 


I20  JAPAN. 

fessional  singers  and  readers.  The  reading  of  na- 
tional legends  and  romances  often  attracts  hundreds, 
who  listen  two  or  three  hours  to  women  who  have 
spent  much  time  and  study  in  preparation  for  this 
kind  of  entertainment.  Those  who  arrive  at  anj^  de- 
gree of  eminence  have  regular  places  for  their  per- 
formances. I  attended  one  of  these,  given  in  a  large 
hall  in  one  of  the  great  cities.  We  started  early, 
and  after  getting  our  tickets,  for  which  we  paid  fif- 
teen cents  each,  and  taking  off  and  checking  our 
shoes,  we  entered  the  hall,  took  a  seat  on  the  clean 
matting,  and  awaited  developments.  Soon  the  people 
began  to  gather — in  families,  or  in  twos  and  threes? 
Meantime,  pretty  girls  were  flitting  here  and  there 
selling  tea  and  fans,  for  the  evening  was  very  warm. 

The  hall  was  hung  with  the  ever-present  Japanese 
lanterns,  and  the  walls  were  decorated  with  paintings, 
many  on  silk,  representing  noted  persons,  or  histor- 
ical scenes.  The  hall  slowly  filled.  Soon  the  cur- 
tains parted  and  a  woman,  in  richest  attire,  appeared 
before  us.  Her  dress  and  obi  were  of  the  most  gor- 
geous embroidery,  but  the  "construction"  of  her 
hair  cannot  be  likened  unto  anything  on  the  earth 
or  in  the  sea.  It  was  "wonderfully"  built,  and 
adorned  with  a  profusion  of  hair  ornaments,  the  like 
of  which  can  only  be  seen  in  that  country. 

She  stepped  forward,  and  seated  herself  on  a  rug 
before  a  low  writing-desk,  upon  which  she  placed  her 
open  book.  A  most  profound  silence  fell  upon  the 
assembly  as  her  clear,  well-modulated  voice  floated 
out  into  the  hall,  reaching  the  furthermost  corner. 


JAPAN.  121 

Sometimes  the  reading  was  accompanied  by  strains 
of  low  music  from  an  instrument  held  in  her  hand  ; 
then  again  nothing  but  the  richness  of  her  voice 
could  be  heard.  Often,  by  her  gestures  or  the  pathos 
of  her  voice,  I  imagined  a  scene  of  sadness  was  being 
described,  or  a  story  of  sorrow  told.  The  reading 
over,  she  rose  with  great  dignity  and  retired,  amid 
the  same  silence  that  was  maintained  throughout 
the  whole  entertainment. 

The  education  of  the  women  has  not  yet  extended 
to  the  stage  ;  and  such  a  thing  is  unheard  of  in  any 
country  of  the  Orient  save  Siam.  All  parts  intended 
for  women  are  taken  by  men  in  female  attire.  Among 
the  common  people  singers  go  about  the  streets  in 
groups,  just  as  the  Italian,  with  hand-organ  and 
monkey,  wanders  through  the  streets  of  our  more 
civilized  land.  The  usual  supplications  for  money 
follows  the  music,  and  the  people  are  glad  to  contrib- 
ute— I  suppose  to  have  them  "  move  on." 


rA 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"THE   TRAIL   OF  THE  SERPENT." 

|S  MIGHT  be  expected  in  a  land  where  the 
will  of  man  is  law  in  the  household,  divorces 
are  very  easy  to  obtain  in  Japan.  The  hus- 
band has  almost  unlimited  power.  According  to  the 
law  a  man  may  put  aside  his  wife  for  any  one  of  seven 
reasons  :  First,  if  she  is  disobedient  to  her  parents-in- 
law  ;  second,  if  she  be  barren  ;  third,  if  she  be  lewd  or 
licentious  ;  fourth,  if  she  be  jealous  ;  fifth,  if  she  have  a 
loathsome  or  contagious  disease  ;  sixth,  if  she  steal ; 
seventh,  if  she  talk  too  much.  The  husband  being  the 
sole  judge  in  the  matter,  these  seven  reasons  could  be 
made  to  serve  in  almost  any  case.  The  divorced  wife 
has  no  legal  claim  to  support,  but  must  devise  some 
way  to  take  care  of  herself.  Under  no  circumstances 
or  plea  can  a  woman  get  a  divorce  from  her  husband. 
Polygamy,  wherever  found,  or  however  modified,  is 
an  unmitigated  curse.  In  Japan  a  man  has  but  one 
legal  wife.  She  is  retained  if  she  presents  her  hus- 
band with  the  children  he  desires  ;  if  not,  this  is  sufii- 
cient  reason  for  divorce.  If  he  does  not  divorce  her, 
by  common  consent,  and  with  her  assistance  in  the 
selection,  he  takes  one  or  two  "  handmaids  "  into  his 
household,  the  legal  wife  retaining  her  position  as 
head  of  the  house.  If  she  assists  in  selecting  the 
"  handmaid,"  it  is  said  the  wife  is  never  jealous. 


A  Japanese  Lady. 


JAPAN.  125 

While  there  are  many  things  in  the  surroundings  of 
these  women  which  make  us  feel  how  vastly  better  off 
they  are  than  many  others,  yet  a  real  searching  into 
social  conditions  reveals  a  state  of  affairs  hardly  in 
keeping  with  their  advancement.  The  sins  that 
abound  in  other  places  in  the  East  are  found  here 
also.  It  is  true  that  no  painted,  lewd  women  parade 
the  streets  and  publicly  announce  their  shame  ;  it  is 
true  that  no  "  pestilence  walks  at  noonday  "  in  Japan, 
but  it  is  there,  and  a  visit  to  some  sections  of  the  great 
cities  makes  us  realize  how  the  "  trail  of  the  serpent " 
is  seen  everywhere.  Some  idea  may  be  gathered  from 
Mr.  Humbert's  writing  of  the  terrible  surroundings 
into  which  these  women  are  sometimes  led  : 

"  Whither  goes  that  poorly  dressed  woman,  holding 
by  hand  a  young  girl  only  seven  years  of  age,  decked 
out  in  her  best  clothes?  After  an  hour's  walk  she 
reaches  the  external  wall  of  the  city  of  vice,  accessible 
only  on  the  one  side — that  of  the  north.  She  has  met 
no  woman  on  the  way.  The  elegant  norimonos  of  the 
ladies,  whose  coolies  are  carrying  them  in  that  direc- 
tion, are  closely  shut.  Individuals  of  every  rank  meet 
in  this  part  of  the  city,  but  salute  each  other  without 
exchanging  the  smallest  politeness.  The  houses  on 
both  sides  of  the  public  way  seem  to  be  dependencies 
of  the  privileged  quarters.  The  gate-keeper  on  duty 
conducts  the  traveler,  with  the  poor  little  child,  into 
the  presence  of  his  chief.  After  a  few  moments  the 
mother  and  daughter  come  out  of  the  ward-room,  ac- 
companied by  a  police  agent,  who  leads  them  to  one 
of  the   chief  buildings   in   the   street.     The   mother 


126  JAPAN. 

returns  alone,  carrying  in  the  sleeve  of  her  dress  a 
sum  of  money  amounting  to  about  fifty  dollars.  The 
bargain  has  been  duly  made,  and  has  been  signed  and 
sealed.  She  has  sold  her  child ,  body  and  soul,  for  a  term 
of  seventeen  years. 

"  Majority  is  only  an  illusory  right  in  Japan,  when 
brought  in  contact  with  the  will  of  the  parent.  In 
the  greater  number  of  cases  these  poor  creatures  are 
the  victims  of  the  ill  conduct  of  the  father,  who  has 
fallen  into  dissolute  habits,  and  who,  in  order  that  he 
may  be  perfectly  without  restraint,  has  turned  his 
wife  and  children  out  of  his  home.  The  forsaken 
wife  will  never  have  an  opportunity  of  contracting 
another  marriage.  Society  condemns  her.  If  she 
has  no  relations  who  will  receive  her,  she  is  left  to 
utter  solitude,  and  her  onlj'  prospect  is  poverty. 
Under  these  circumstances  the  mother  feels  forced  to 
sell  her  child.  If  she  be  grown  up,  the  bargain  is 
still  better,  as  the  mother  will  derive  from  it  a  small 
amount  annually  for  three  or  four  years. 

"  But  what  becomes  of  the  girl  when  the  contract 
has  expired  ?  She  does  not  retain  a  farthing  of  the 
money  which  her  wretched  profession  has  brought 
her.  She  has  generally  been  allowed  to  go  in  debt 
for  dress  and  food  to  the  proprietor  of  the  establish- 
ment, and  in  order  to  meet  her  obligations,  she  must 
enter  into  a  new  agreement ;  so  she  generally  ends 
her  life  as  a  servant  or  housekeeper  in  the  house 
where  her  career  began.  If  a  man  happens  to  form 
an  attachment  for  a  courtesan,  he  will  purchase  her  or 
even  marry  her,  but  such  is  a  very  exceptional  case. 


JAPAN.  127 

"  The  great  ladies  of  these  places  have  their  rooms 
furnished  with  much  elegance.  Some  of  them  are 
under  '  the  protection  '  of  young  men  of  high  fami- 
lies, who  pay  a  certain  amount  to  the  keeper,  for 
which  she  maintains  the  best  looking  girls  and  finest 
surroundings.  Pipes  and  refreshments  are  to  be  had 
in  profusion  to  season  the  witty  conversation  of  the 
ladies  as  they  escort  the  gentlemen  into  the  garden, 
surrounded  by  high  walls  on  all  sides.  A  dance-hall 
forms  pajt  of  the  appurtenances  of  the  place,  and  all 
the  dancing  is  done  by  the  women  and  the  small 
children,  sold  at  early  ages,  who  figure  largely  in 
these  performances. 

' '  These  resorts  are  closed  to  foreigners  in  Yeddo, 
but  in  many  localities  the  government  has  adopted 
measures  to  make  these  places  accessible  to  the  for- 
eign element." 

Yet,  with  all  the  gnawing  away  at  the  very  core  of 
home  life,  one  might  live  in  a  Japanese  city  for  years 
and  see  none  of  the  moral  leprosy  that  nightly  flaunts 
itself  in  Broadway,  the  Haymarket,  or  other  streets 
of  the  great  cities  of  Christian  lands  ;  but  it  is  there, 
and  the  most  sorrowful  feature  of  it  is  the  lack  of 
protection  to  small  children  who  should  be  in  the 
nursery  with  their  dolls,  but  who  are  really  the  prop- 
erty of  parents  who  barter  them  in  the  markets  of 
vice. 


CHINA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FIRST   IMPRESSIONS   OF  THE   FLOWERY    KINGDOM. 

|HE  country  whose  name  holds  fewest  allure- 
ments for  the  tourist  is  China.  The  lower 
class  of  the  Chinese  have  scattered  them- 
selves to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  taking  with  them 
their  vices  and  unclean  mode  of  life,  which  have  fos- 
tered disease  to  such  an  extent  that  the  very  name  of 
China  has  become  a  dread  to  many  communities.  It 
is  in  this  way  that  the  opinions  of  the  outside  world 
concerning  the  "Flowery  Kingdom"  have  been 
molded  ;  and  because  of  this,  even  the  most  enthusi- 
astic globe  trotter  turns  toward  that  land  with  a  feel- 
ing that  is  something  akin  to  fear. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  there  is  far  more  civilization 
among  the  Chinese  than  we  give  them  credit  for. 
When  the  inhabitants  of  the  British  Isles  were  painted 
savages,  China  enjoyed  a  degree  of  cultivation.  Wun 
Wang,  who  lived  during  the  reign  of  David,  wrote  a 
book  that  now  ranks  among  the  classics,  and  is  one  of 
the  standard  works  in  the  schools  of  to-day.  When 
Moses  was  leading  the  children  of  Israel  through  the 

129 


I30  CHINA. 

Red  Sea,  the  Chinese  were  a  settled  people,  having 
the  same  form  of  government  under  vi^hich  they  now 
live.  Since  then  the  famous  empires  of  Assyria,  Bab- 
ylon, Greece  and  Rome  have  waxed  and  waned,  and 
passed  away,  and  China  alone  stands  the  sole  relic  of 
patriarchal  days. 

I  confess  that  the  country  had  very  little  fascination 
for  me,  as  I  contemplated  a  somewhat  extended  trip 
among  the  celestials,  and  I  started  toward  its  shores 
with  strange  forebodings ;  but  the  day  was  set  on 
which  I  was  to  embark  in  the  "  China  mail  steamer," 
and  there  was  no  drawing  back.  (Shades  of  Fulton  ! 
That  "  mail  steamer  !  "  —  a  small  tea  boat  with  a  few 
cabins  in  which  passengers  were  to  be  stowed  away 
for  a  month  ! ) 

I  took  passage  from  a  northern  city  on  the  east 
coast  of  Australia,  and  surmounted  difficulties  not  a 
few  in  getting  to  the  anchored  steamer,  far  down  the 
bay.  I  was  taken  off  in  the  freight  tender — a  primi- 
tive affair  intended  only  for  cargo  and  live  stock.  I 
stood  on  the  wharf  while  this  was  being  loaded  ;  saw 
the  sheep  and  about  a  dozen  Chinese  put  on,  and  then 
I  went  down  with  the  rest  of  the  live  stock.  The  piti- 
less rays  of  a  tropical  sun  beat  upon  us  as,  unpro- 
tected by  awning  or  cover,  we  alternately  broiled, 
baked  and  stewed  in  that  torrid  climate.  I  sat  look- 
ing first  into  the  faces  of  the  innocent  sheep,  then  at 
the  bland  Chinaman — (Oh,  the  meek  and  childlike 
John  !  Who  on  earth  can  smile  like  he  ? ) — wonder- 
ing which  looked  the  more  innocent,  when  my  atten- 
tion was  arrested  by  a  man  at  one  end  of  the  tender 


CHINA.  131 

actively  engaged  in  what  seemed  to  be  a  great  labor. 
I  rose  from  the  candle-box  on  which  I  was  seated,  and 
saw  he  was  preparing  biscuit.  He  kept  kneading 
and  kneading  away — the  perspiration  rolling  from 
his  forehead  and  chin — until  his  doughy  preparation 
was  ready  for  the  oven,  for  he  was  at  the  head  of  the 
culinary  department,  and  it  was  near  the  dinner  hour. 
Some  time  later,  one  of  the  freight  hands,  a  kind- 
hearted  soul,  asked  me  if  I  would  have  a  cup  of  tea, 
to  which  I  assented.  He  hastened  off,  and  soon  re- 
turned with  an  immense,  thick  cup,  brimful  of  tea, 
and  beside  the  cup  reposed  some  of  the  very  biscuit 
which  the  cook  had  been  so  recently  engaged  in  man- 
ufacturing. I  took  the  tea,  and,  when  the  man's  back 
was  turned,  fed  the  fish  with  the  biscuit. 

The  mail  steamer  was  soon  reached,  and  I  found 
that  I  was  the  only  woman  passenger  booked  through 
for  China.  Most  of  those  on  board  were  on  their  way 
to  the  northern  gold  fields  beyond  Port  Darwin,  of 
which  place  it  is  said  there  is  only  a  sheet  of  brown 
paper  between  it  and  a  very  warm  climate  we  some- 
times hear  of.  At  this  port  they  all  disembarked, 
leaving  one  solitary  Jew  and  myself  to  continue  our 
journey. 

All  went  well  for  a  day  or  two,  but  the  China  Sea — 
that  stormy  body  of  water  dreaded  by  the  oldest 
and  most  skillful  navigators — fully  sustained  its  repu- 
tation, and  entered  into  a  conspiracy  with  the  elements 
to  display  their  fury.  My  heart  was  filled  with  dis- 
may when  I  heard  the  captain  say,  "  We  are  in  the 
tail  end  of  a  typhoon."     (If  that  was  the  tail  end, 


132  CHINA. 

deliver  me  from  ever  getting  into  the  middle  of  one  !) 
The  ports  were  ordered  closed,  everything  movable 
taken  from  the  deck,  the  hatchway  battened  down, 
and  all  doors  bolted.  Soon  the  storm  was  full  upon 
us.  The  little  Hebrew  was  terror-stricken  ;  as  for 
myself — well,  when  the  captain  came  to  assure  us 
that  there  was  no  danger,  I  had  reached  the  state 
that  reconciled  Mark  Twain  to  a  storm  :  first  he  was 
seized  with  an  awful  dread  that  he  might  die,  then 
with  a  worse  dread  that  he  might  not  die.  I  had 
reached  this  last  frame  of  mind,  and  told  the  captain 
it  was  a  splendid  experience  from  which  to  gain  "  dy- 
ing grace."  There  is  no  doubt  about  it — the  sensa- 
tion of  hopelessness  that  comes  upon  one  in  a  time 
of  such  awful  peril  is  a  good  experience. 

The  tempest  lasted  three  days,  and  when,  at  length, 
we  were  informed  that  we  could  have  our  ports 
opened,  it  came  to  us  with  a  sense  of  relief  such  as  one 
might  feel  in  being  resurrected  from  a  too  previous 
burial.  I  have  seldom  had  anything  so  impress  me 
as  the  dawn  of  the  day  after  the  storm.  The  waves, 
having  spent  their  force,  were  content  to  lie  in  dark 
folds  against  the  ship,  tossing  it  from  side  to  side. 
The  somber  hues  of  departing  night  were  reflected 
upon  the  bosom  of  the  angry  sea,  and  the  gray 
of  the  early  morning  lent  additional  weirdness  to  the 
scene.  The  only  noise  above  the  moan  of  the  winds 
through  the  rigging,  and  the  dash  of  the  heavy  sea 
against  the  boat,  was  the  steady  tramp  of  the  mate 
keeping  his  lonely  watch  on  the  bridge. 

Three  days  later,  early  in  the  morning,  while  the 


CHINA.  133 

moon  was  yet  high  in  the  heavens,  we  came  in  sight 
of  Hong-Kong.  Anxious  to  catch  the  first  sight  of 
China  I  hastened  on  deck,  whence  a  scene  of  great 
beauty  burst  upon  me.  The  moon  and  stars  never 
shone  more  brightly — it  was  almost  as  light  as  day — 
and  we  could  plainly  see  on  our  right  the  sand-hills 
that  skirt  the  mainland,  and  on  our  left  the  larger 
hills  that  form  the  island  on  which  is  built  the  beau- 
tiful city  of  Victoria.  It  is  but  a  wee  dot  in  the  sea, 
consisting  of  only  a  range  of  hills,  rising  in  some 
places  with  great  abruptness,  and  in  others  gently 
sloping  to  the  water.  The  city  extends  some  three 
miles  along  the  shore  and  up  the  hills  to  the  summit 
of  the  highest  peak,  a  distance  of  twenty-four  hun- 
dred feet.  A  narrow  footpath  winds  around  this  hill 
to  the  very  top.  In  addition  to  th.is  is  a  recently  con- 
structed tramway,  a  portion  of  which  is  so  steep  that 
in  looking  toward  the  shore  a  hair-raising,  marrow- 
freezing  sensation  creeps  over  one. 

As  we  dropped  anchor  swarms  of  natives  in  small 
boats  descended  upon  the  steamer  to  take  us  ashore, 
and  remained  near  by  till  morning  was  full  upon  us. 
The  captain  pointed  out  one  of  these  small  boats — 
about  fifteen  feet  in  length — in  which  he  said,  a  family 
of  four  generations  had  been  living  for  years  !  At 
one  end  of  the  boat  (called  a  "  sampan  ")  a  matting 
made  of  bamboo,  extended  over  a  large  hoop  reach- 
ing to  the  gunwales,  afforded  protection  from  the  sun. 
Under  this  the  entire  family  ate,  slept,  cooked  and 
lived,  rarely  going  ashore. 

These  scenes  around  the  steamer  in  the  early  morn- 


134  CHINA. 

ing  hours,  formed  a  comprehensive  and  sad  commen- 
tary on  China.  The  degraded  condition  of  the  women 
is  most  apparent,  and  the  heavy  labor  that  falls  to 
their  portion  must  make  life  a  burden  scarcely  to  be 
borne.  One  woman  stood  in  the  end  of  a  boat  which 
was  propelled  by  an  oar  at  the  stern,  with  a  child 
strapped  to  her  back,  swaying  her  body  to  and  fro, 
trying  to  quiet  the  screaming  infant  and  at  the  same 
time  pulling  away  at  the  heavy  oar.  In  one  of  these 
small  boats  I  was  rowed  ashore,  where  half  a  dozen 
Chinamen  sprang  at  me  all  at  once.  I  was  somewhat 
alarmed,  fearing  they  intended  to  carry  me  off  bodily  ; 
but  the  captain  assured  me  of  their  good  intention, 
which  was  to  see  that  I  reached  my  destination  in 
safety.  The  choice  of  conveyance  was  between  a 
jenrikishaw  and  a  sedan-chair  ;  of  these  two  evils  I 
chose  the  greater^  that  is  to  say,  the  larger.  A  chair 
was  placed  on  the  ground,  I  walked  to  the  end  of  the 
poles,  backed  in,  and  when  seated,  a  Chinaman  in  the 
front,  and  one  in  the  back,  stooped  and  placed  the 
poles  on  their  shoulders.  I  was  raised  some  feet  from 
the  ground,  and  thus,  high  in  the  air,  I  was  borne 
through  the  streets.  With  a  mingled  feeling  of  fear, 
pity  and  compassion  I  passed  through  the  streets  amid 
scenes  that  no  tongue  could  tell  or  pen  describe.  The 
natives  were  engaged  in  every  occupation  that  could 
be  named — from  spinning  to  coffin-making.  Not  sat- 
isfied with  the  narrow  limits  of  their  workshop,  which 
usually  serves  the  purpose  of  both  shop  and  dwelling, 
they  bring  their  work  to  the  sidewalk,  and  ply  their 
various   occupations.      Thus  the   who!e   footpath  is 


CHINA.  135 

taken  up,  and  pedestrians  are  turned  into  the  road. 
As  the  Httle  carriages  with  their  human  steeds  come 
spinning  along  in  every  direction,  the  safety  of  the 
pedestrian  becomes  a  matter  of  some  concern,  and 
even  a  stranger  will  call  out  to  a  passer-by,  warning 
him  of  the  danger  near. 

We  passed  a  stone  quarry  where  women,  old  and 
young — some  of  them  very  old — were  pounding  away 
at  the  rocks  with  great  sledge-hammers.  When 
broken  into  small  pieces  the  stones  are  carried  to 
distant  parts  of  the  cities,  and  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  new  roads.  I  exclaimed,  "  How  awful  !  "  but 
the  captain  told  me  that  such  work  was  not  really  the 
most  laborious  they  had  to  perform.  He  pointed  to 
the  heights  of  the  great  hills  before  us,  on  which 
stood  many  beautiful  buildings,  and  said,  "Every 
stone  and  stick  of  timber  used  in  putting  up  those 
buildings  were  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  na- 
tives, usually  the  women."  In  the  interior  it  is  a 
common  sight  to  see  a  woman  and  a  buffalo  harnessed 
together  plowing  in  the  rice  fields. 

The  city  of  Victoria  is  decidedly  strange  in  appear- 
ance, and  were  it  not  for  the  multitude  that  throng 
the  streets,  it  would  have  the  appearance  of  a  ruined 
town.  The  buildings  are  very  large,  built  of  brick, 
and  plastered  over  with  concrete.  The  damp  season 
causes  everything  to  mildew,  both  in  and  outside  the 
house.  The  books,  clothing,  and  everything  indoors 
on  which  the  dampness  settles,  is  covered  with  min- 
ute fungi.  Heavy  scales  of  this  have  accumulated  on 
the  outside  of  the  houses,  and  in  the  crevices  of  the 


136  CHINA, 

stones  around  the  terraces  grow  every  kind  of  fern 
and  creeper,  giving  the  whole  a  ruinous  aspect  which 
has  a  peculiar  fascination. 

Some  distance  north  of  Victoria,  ok  the  banks  of 
the  river  which  bears  its  name,  is  Canton,  the  largest 
city  of  southern  China.  The  teeming  millions  that 
hive  in  this  city  are  truly  past  all  calculation.  In- 
deed, the  most  astonishing  feature  of  China  is  the 
density  of  its  population.  If  I  had  been  trying  to 
picture  the  entire  population  of  the  earth,  I  could 
never  have  conceived  the  multitude  that  here  press 
upon  one  at  every  turn.  In  being  borne  through  the 
narrow  streets  of  the  city,  the  chatter  of  the  passing 
throng  is  almost  deafening. 

Going  down  the  river  the  captain  pointed  out  the 
place  where  the  opium  was  seized  and  burned.  This 
caused  that  cruel  war  with  England  in  which  not 
only  thousands  of  the  people  were  slain,  but  which 
resulted  in  the  greatest  evil  of  the  century  being 
thrust  upon  the  populace,  for  the  opium  traffic  has 
brought  to  the  venerable  empire  death  in  its  streets 
and  desolation  in  its  homes.  While  I  was  in  Canton 
some  Chinese  pirates  who  had  looted  a  coasting  boat 
were  captured,  and  the  command  had  gone  forth  that 
they  should  be  beheaded.  It  would  seem  that  the 
sum  total  of  all  cruelty  could  be  found  in  the  nature 
of  the  Chinaman,  for  his  fertility  in  inventing  inhu- 
man means  of  torture  could  scarce  be  equaled  this 
side  of  the  bottomless  pit.  The  Temple  of  Horrors, 
within  which  stand  illustrations  of  different  modes  of 
punishment,  (some  of  them  not  now  in  practice,)  gives 


CHINA.  137 

one  a  small  idea  of  the  methods  of  torture  the  China- 
man is  capable  of  devising.  In  bygone  days  the  pen- 
alty for  certain  offenses  was  to  be  "sawn  asunder." 
Long  strips  of  wood,  like  the  staves  of  a  barrel,  were 
placed  around  the  criminal  and  made  secure  by 
wooden  hoops.  Saws  were  then  brought  forth  and 
placed  on  each  shoulder  of  the  victim,  and,  at  a  given 
signal,  the  awful  work  began,  and  the  shrieking 
wretch  was  sawed  into  three  pieces. 

Each  particular  offense  had  its  own  punishment. 
One  was  the  pulling  out  of  the  tongue  by  the  roots. 
The  savage-looking  implement  employed  in  this  tor- 
ture was  exhibited  in  the  temple.  Another,  was  to 
bring  to  a  white-heat  a  metal  bell,  which  was  placed 
over  the  criminal's  head  while  he  was  still  alive.  The 
common  mode  of  punishment  at  present  is  beheading, 
and  the  execution  ground  is  one  of  the  "  sights"  of 
the  city.  When  the  premises  are  not  being  used  to 
dispatch  souls  into  eternity  they  are  converted  into 
pottery  works  in  which  hundreds  are  employed. 

On  execution  day  all  work  is  set  aside  for  certain 
hours,  after  which  it  is  resumed  with  as  little  concern 
as  though  the  laborers  had  been  away  at  dinner. 
Large  earthen  jars,  piled  one  upon  the  other,  form 
one  of  the  walls  of  the  inclosure.  These  jars  are 
filled  with  the  heads  of  those  who  have  been  ex- 
ecuted. As  the  vengeance  of  the  law  is  meted  out  to 
each  criminal  the  head  is  deposited  in  a  jar,  which  is 
sealed  and  given  its  place  in  the  wall.  The  bodies 
are  given  to  the  relatives,  if  they  desire  them.  The 
mode  of  execution  is  most  primitive.     The  prisoners 


1 38  CHINA. 

are  brought  to  the  grounds  chained  one  to  another  ; 
a  heavy  stake  is  driven  in  the  earth,  and  one  of  the 
victims  is  led  forward  with  his  hands  pinioned  in 
front  of  him.  He  falls  upon  his  knees  near  the  stake, 
to  which  his  arms  are  fastened ;  the  head  is  then 
thrown  forward  until  the  chin  rests  on  the  chest, 
leaving  the  back  of  the  neck  exposed.  The  execu- 
tioner steps  forward  with  a  sharp  meat-ax,  and,  with 
one  well-aimed  blow,  the  head  is  severed  from  the 
body,  and  is  hastily  picked  up  and  placed  in  a  jar. 

Criminals  are  usually  convicted  on  circumstantial 
evidence,  and  seldom,  if  ever,  have  a  proper  trial. 
Death  is  not  always  the  penalty  meted  out  to  law- 
breakers. For  small  offenses  the  criminal  is  made  an 
example  of.  A  large  square  board  with  a  hole  in  the 
center  is  placed  around  the  neck  and  locked  with  a 
padlock.  The  criminal  is  then  placed  in  the  public 
streets  as  a  warning  to  those  not  inclined  to  regard 
the  law.  The  board  is  so  large  that  it  prevents  the 
victim's  hands  from  reaching  his  face,  and  thus  the 
poor  creature  is  kept  all  day  from  tasting  food.  Num- 
bers of  these  criminals  are  driven  out  every  morning 
and  back  in  the  evening,  for  a  greater  or  less  time, 
according  to  the  offense. 

The  missionaries,  merchants  and  commercial  men 
who  live  without  the  wall  of  Canton  form  a  commun- 
ity of  their  own.  The  life  of  a  missionary  is  a  very 
hard  one ;  so  little  of  the  result  of  his  work  is  ever 
seen.  One  might  pass  through  the  streets  of  Canton 
without  becoming  aware  that  a  missionary  had  ever 
visited  the  place.     I  heard  Dr.  Happer,  who  has  just 


CHINA.  139 

* 

passed  away,  and  who  had  been  in  China  forty  years, 
say,  "  Oh,  that  I  were  a  young  man  again  !  Oh,  that 
I  had  another  life  to  give  to  China!"  But  all  those 
forty  years  of  hard  work  have  left  no  impress — the 
city  is  not  even  touched  by  the  Gospel  ;  and,  humanly 
speaking,  the  evangelization  of  China  seems  a  hope- 
less task. 


CHAPTER  II. 

UP   RIVER   IN   A   HOUSE -BOAT. 

|0  FORM  any  idea  of  real  Chinese  life  it  is 
necessary  to  leave  the  coast-line  and  go  far 
from   beaten  tracks  ;  this  was  my  intention 
as  I  traveled  northward. 

The  absence  of  rush  and  hurry  in  the  home  life  of 
the  Chinaman,  and,  indeed,  in  his  affairs  generally, 
has  its  advantage.  There  has  not  yet  appeared  that 
unmeasured  and  boundless  force,  with  its  very  marked 
strength — that  formidable  and  revolutionary  factor  in 
human  affairs — the  ' '  restlessness  ' '  of  the  masses. 
In  the  lapse  of  ages,  and  in  the  course  of  progressive 
effort  that  has  laid  hold  of  almost  the  entire  world, 
China  has  kept  her  feet  on  the  rock  of  her  fathers, 
refusing  to  enter  upon  the  highway  of  human  wel- 
fare hewn  out  of  new  ideas  and  modern  thought. 
The  Chinese  are  not  in  the  least  anxious  to  help 
make  the  wide  world's  history,  to  see  the  beginning 
of  new  movements,  the  birth  of  new  ideas,  or  the 
development  of  new  theories  that  will  throw  open 
doors  that  have  been  closed  for  centuries.  There 
they  stand,  four  hundred  millions  strong,  as  if  shut 
away  in  the  fastnesses  of  mountain  heights,  regard- 
ing the  western  ways  as  barbaric,  content  to  hand 
down  for  ages  still  a  civilization  that  to  their  minds 
has  served  them  well.     I  say  it  has  its  advantages, 


CHINA.  141 

for  they  are  saved  the  calamity  of  the  mad  house, 
which,  in  the  West,  is  a  woeful  attendant  upon  our 
civilization,  and  is  beyond  a  doubt  a  product  of  the 
very  culture  of  which  we  boast. 

The  greatest  drawback  to  China  is  the  lack  of 
home  life,  as  we  understand  the  term.  I^ike  all  the 
countries  of  the  Orient,  the  Chinese  have  no  such 
word  as  "home"  in  their  language;  just  what 
"house"  literally  expresses,  just  that  thought  is  their 
idea  of  home — a  place  in  which  to  seek  shelter  from 
the  storm,  to  sleep  at  night,  and  prepare  their  food. 
The  greatest  need  of  the  Orient  is  to  learn  what  the 
word  ' '  home  ' '  means. 

Determined  to  see  something  of  the  home  life  of 
these  people,  I  set  sail  from  Swatow,  a  small  place  some 
distance  north  of  Canton,  surrounded  by  a  densely  pop- 
ulated country.  No  steamers  sail  the  small  rivers,  and 
the  only  means  of  travel  is  either  in  a  small  private 
house-boat,  or  in  one  of  the  public  traffic  boats  that 
carry  the  natives  from  place  to  place.  To  travel  in 
the  latter  entails  more  or  less  exposure  to  disease,  for 
the  lower  classes  have  every  appearance  of  deadly  mal- 
adies lurking  about  them.  Many  of  them  are  afflicted 
with  leprosy,  making  them  loathsome  to  behold. 
They  go  about  uncared  for,  and  are  left  to  mingle  with 
the  masses,  thus  spreading  the  disease  and  endanger- 
ing the  safety  of  the  traveler.  Crossing  a  river  in  a 
native  boat  I  have  found  myself  surrounded  by  lepers 
in  almost  every  stage  of  life  (or  death),  yet  still  able 
to  move  about  from  place  to  place,  veritable  walking 
"pest-houses."     When   the  disease   has  reached   an 


142  CHINA. 

advanced  stage  they  are  awful  to  behold.  The  eating 
away  of  the  various  features  so  disfigures  them  that 
they  bear  little  resemblance  to  a  human  being. 

To  avoid  contact  with  these  unfortunates  I  traveled 
in  a  small  house-boat.  This  was  a  novel  experience. 
As  we  loosed  the  little  boat  we  were  to  live  in  for  an 
uncertain  time,  and  drifted  down  the  bay  with  the 
tide,  a  strange  sensation  came  upon  me,  and  I  closed 
my  eyes  to  mentally  peer  into  the  regions  beyond, 
only  to  feel  confused  and  bewildered  as  to  what  we 
might  encounter.  The  boat  had  three  apartments — 
the  sleeping  room,  which  also  served  as  sitting  and 
dining  room  ;  the  kitchen,  a  small  space  six  by  four 
feet,  just  large  enough  for  a  Chinaman  to  display  his 
skill  in  the  preparation  of  food  ;  and  a  small  room  in 
which  the  Bible-woman  slept  on  the  floor,  after  the 
native  custom.  Besides  the  cook  and  Bible-woman, 
the  ship  was  manned  by  seven  native  sailors,  who 
rowed  when  it  was  calm  weather,  and  spread  the  sails 
when  we  were  favored  with  a  breeze.  We  were  be- 
calmed much  of  the  time.  The  weather  was  hot  and 
damp,  for  we  were  in  one  of  those  humid  climates 
where  everything  mildews.  A  tin  box,  elevated  a 
few  inches  from  the  floor,  stands  in  every  room,  and 
in  this,  on  retiring,  you  deposit  the  garments  worn 
during  the  day.  If  you  carelessly  leave  shoes  or 
books  out  at  night,  in  the  morning  they  are  covered 
with  heavy  mildew  ;  and  to  hang  a  garment  against 
the  wall  necessitates  great  labor  in  drying  before  it 
can  be  worn  or  packed  away.  After  a  bath  at  night, 
when  the  vapor  almost  to  the  extent  of  steam  rose 


CHINA.  143 

from  the  body,  I  had  serious  misgivings  as  to  the  con- 
dition in  which  I  might  be  found  next  morning,  and 
the  ' '  shades  ' '  of  mould  and  mildew  made  wretched 
my  sleepless  hours. 

A  calm  beset  us  the  first  night,  and  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  absence  of  the  sun,  the  men  bent  to  their 
oars  and  toiled  all  through  the  hours  of  darkness. 
Daybreak  brought  us  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  up 
which  we  turned,  and  encountering  the  favoring  tide, 
we  drifted  with  little  labor  to  the  sailors.  The  air 
was  laden  with  a  salt  sea  dampness,  which  caused 
every  garment  to  lay  hold  of  the  body  with  a  clinging 
embrace  from  which  it  was  impossible  to  free  one's  self; 
but  as  it  ever  is  in  life,  the  eternal  law  of  compensa- 
tion came  into  full  force,  and  our  thoughts  were  soon 
turned  to  the  beauty  of  the  country. 

China,  in  some  parts,  affords  a  variety  and  grand- 
eur of  scenery  little  imagined  until  the  inner  regions 
are  penetrated.  Along  the  Foo  Chow  river,  the  trav- 
eler finds  himself  amid  the  boldest,  most  striking 
mountain  scenery  through  which  any  known  river 
sweeps  its  course  ;  but  the  Kitie,  the  stream  up  which 
our  house-boat  slowly  sailed,  wends  its  curling  way 
through  the  lowlands.  The  banks  are  dotted  with 
walled  villages,  and  the  whole  valley,  hemmed  in  by 
distant  mountains,  is  covered  with  rice  and  sugar-cane 
fields,  amid  which  can  be  seen  the  temples,  guilds, 
and  pagodas  that  form  the  characteristics  of  this  part 
of  the  world. 

The  appearance  of  a  foreigner  in  one  of  these  in- 
land towns  is  truly  an  event.     So  small  a  per  cent  of 


144  CHINA. 

the  people  read  or  know  anything  of  the  outside 
world  that  the  advent  of  a  white  face  among  them 
creates  wide-spread  interest,  and  not  a  little  confu- 
sion. As  our  boat  came  to  anchor  at  one  of  these 
very  ancient  "  villages,"  where  seventy  thousand  men 
and  women  huddled  together  within  narrow  limits 
shut  in  by  a  wall  some  twenty  feet  high,  no  small 
consternation  was  created.  It  was  noised  about  that 
a  foreign  boat  had  anchored  without  the  town. 
Crowds  gathered,  but  as  night  was  almost  upon  us 
we  thought  to  remain  on  board  till  morning.  The 
pressing  crowd  increased  in  numbers.  I  looked  from 
my  little  window,  and  saw  the  banks,  as  far  as  vision 
could  reach,  lined  with  a  curious  throng,  each  indi- 
vidual anxious  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  foreigners ; 
for,  though  they  had  not  as  yet  seen  us,  the  strange 
appearance  of  the  boat  plainly  told  them  who  its 
occupants  were. 

The  Bible-woman  thought  it  would  be  a  good  plan 
if  I  would  simply  step  out,  let  the  people  see  me,  and 
give  them  to  understand  that  my  feelings  were  alto- 
gether friendly  ;  for  they  were  beginning  to  murmur 
among  themselves,  and  ask  what  "foreign  devils" 
these  might  be,  and  for  what  purpose  they  had  come 
to  their  village.  I  knew  my  unusual  height  (nearly 
six  feet)  would  lead  them  to  suppose  some  giant 
race  had  invaded  their  borders.  What  was  I  to  do  ? 
No  manner  of  dress  could  decrease  the  two  yards 
of  humanity  that  would  confront  them.  I  put  on 
my  gloves,  to  avoid  contagion  from  lepers,  took 
ofif  my  sun-bonnet,  in  which  I  had  traveled,   and 


Miss  Ackermann  in  Oriental  Costume, 


CHINA.  147 

with  the  lady  missionary  and  Bible-woman  ventured 
into  the  crowd.  When  the  children  saw  how  I  loomed 
above  the  rest  they  set  up  a  shout,  the  men  chattered 
away  among  themselves,  the  women  came  nearer  to 
examine  my  wearing  apparel,  and  numerous  were  the 
questions  put  to  us.  The  missionary  who  accom- 
panied me  could  speak  the  language,  and  explained 
the  object  of  our  visit,  telling  them  that  we  had  heard 
much  of  them  and  their  country,  and  had  come  to  see 
what  they  were  like.  They  seemed  quite  satisfied, 
and  we  returned  to  our  boats  amid  many  exclama- 
tions, such  as  ' '  How  beautiful  they  are  !  How 
deadly  white  !  Where  did  they  come  from  ?  ' '  The 
last  words  the  Bible- woman  heard  were,  "That  big 
one  must  be  a  man."  The  crowd  finally  disbursed 
and  we  were  left  to  the  quietude  of  the  night. 

With  the  break  of  day,  crowds  again  gathered 
about  the  boat,  and  when  we  started  for  the  city  it 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  were  able  to 
reach  the  narrow  streets  ;  it  was  impossible  to  move 
in  any  direction  only  as  we  were  borne  by  the  crowds. 
Their  curiosity  gave  vent  to  the  wildest  chatter,  and 
their  strange,  unearthly  language,  and  the  constant 
peering  into  our  faces,  occasioned  us  much  discom- 
fort. The  Bible-woman,  however,  assured  us  again 
and  again  that  there  was  no  cause  for  alarm.  Many 
of  them  had  never  seen  a  white  woman  before,  and  it 
was  scarcely  surprising  that  we  appeared  somewhat 
strange  to  them.  As  we  were  being  pushed  and 
crowded  through  one  of  the  narrow  streets,  on  each 
side  of  which,  within  arm's-reach,  were  miserable  huts 


148  CHINA. 

of  the  lowly,  we  heard  cries  and  sobs.  Stopping  in 
front  of  the  hut  whence  the  sounds  proceeded,  we 
made  bold  to  enter,  and  such  a  scene  of  human  suffer- 
ing I  have  never  known.  On  a  miserable  bed  of 
straw  and  rags,  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  in  a  half- 
sitting,  half-reclining  position,  was  a  Chinaman  of 
that  unfortunate  class  already  referred  to — the  lepers. 
He  was  moaning  and  sobbing,  crying  out,  ' '  I  have 
had  no  rice  for  two  days  ;  I  am  starving."  Hun- 
dreds had  passed  his  door,  and  his  cry  of  distress  had 
gone  forth  for  more  than  a  day,  but  no  one  had 
turned  aside  even  to  save  him  from  starving.  For 
five  years  he  had  been  suffering  from  the  malady,  and 
his  old  mother  had  plowed  in  the  rice  fields  to  sup- 
port him.  She  had  watched  the  ravages  of  the  dis- 
ease, and  had  seen  him  grow  worse  and  worse.  First 
his  fingers  were  eaten  away,  and  there  remained 
nothing  but  the  stumps  of  his  hands,  which  he  held 
out  in  a  most  pitiful  appeal.  Then  the  lips,  the 
cheeks,  and  one  ear  gave  way  to  the  unsatisfied  rav- 
ages of  the  plague.  The  poor  mother  had  looked  on 
until  she  could  no  longer  endure  the  sight  of  his  suf- 
ferings ;  so  she  concluded  it  would  be  far  better  for 
him  if  he  were  dead, — and  she  left  him  to  perish. 

Sick  at  heart  from  the  distressing  scene,  we  made 
our  way  to  the  great  Confucian  Temple.  The  out- 
side of  the  building  bears  the  appearance  of  a  theater, 
wilh  cheap-looking,  porcelain  finish,  which  in  China 
is  considered  highly  artistic.  Instead  of  a  spire,  or 
dome,  a  collection  of  hideous  nondescript  images 
forms  a  central  piece  on  the  top  of  the  building,  and 


CHINA.  149 

the  eaves  are  adorned  in  similar  fashion.  The  whole 
unsightly  mass  is  dedicated  to  Confucius.  The  in- 
terior is,  if  possible,  even  more  unattractive  than  the 
outside,  though  it  has  been  decorated  at  great  ex- 
pense. The  central  figure  is  that  of  Confucius, 
enthroned  upon  a  pedestal  under  a  canopy  of  heavy 
and  costly  drapery.  The  image  is  clothed  in  rich 
apparel,  as  are  also  the  images  of  his  seventy  learned 
disciples,  ranged  around  the  sides  of  the  room  to  his 
right  and  left.  In  front  of  the  shrine  an  archway  is 
supported  by  massive  pillars,  around  which  is  coiled 
a  mammoth  dragon  more  than  ten  feet  long.  In 
China  the  dragon  is  an  object  to  be  worshiped,  and 
is  viewed  with  great  reverence.  It  is  believed  by 
the  masses  that  their  country,  which  to  them  is  the 
world,  rests  on  the  tail  of  an  enormous  dragon,  who 
holds  in  his  power  the  control  of  the  elements,  and 
digging  in  the  earth  to  any  depth  is  strictly  forbidden. 
Gold  has  been  found  on  the  surface  in  a  number  of 
places,  and  it  is  known  that  vast  coal  fields  are  spread 
over  large  sections ;  also  that  beds  of  valuable  and 
useful  metals  lie  hidden  in  the  earth.  But  the  pecu- 
liar superstitions  of  the  people  forbid  the  development 
of  these  resources.  Near  the  temple  great  stone  tab- 
lets have  been  erected  by  wealthy  admirers  of  the 
prophet  who  gained  for  himself  a  hundred  million 
followers.  Greater  and  smaller  temples  to  the  vari- 
ous faiths  are  seen  in  different  parts  of  the  city.  The 
chief  characteristic  of  these  edifices  is  the  strange 
mingling  of  rare  beauty  and  great  ugliness,  of  rich 
fabrics  and  inexpressible  filth.     Chickens  wander  at 


I50  CHINA. 

large  in  these  places  of  worship,  and  birds  and 
pigeons  often  roost  upon  the  grinning  idols. 

The  second  temple  is  a  plain,  square  building 
without  ornament  of  any  kind.  Around  all  sides  are 
placed  shelves,  after  the  manner  of  a  bookcase,  with 
sliding  glass  doors.  This  is  an  ancestral  hall  where 
the  records  of  the  dead  are  placed  by  their  sorrowing 
relatives.  The  virtues  of  the  departed  are  chiseled 
on  small  stones,  or  written  on  wooden  tablets,  which 
vary  in  size  according  to  the  wealth  or  position  of 
the  family,  and  are  placed  on  the  shelves.  Before 
these  the  mourning  relatives  pour  out  their  prayers 
that  the  soul  may  go  on  its  way  in  peace. 

When  we  left  this  village  to  continue  our  journey 
inland  the  whole  populace  turned  out  to  see  us  off. 
Some  who  felt  kindly  disposed  toward  us,  (those  in 
whose  houses  we  had  rested,  and  where  we  had 
spoken  to  the  women,)  came  down  to  the  boat  to 
bring  us  presents  of  eggs  and  oranges,  and  taken 
altogether,  I  have  seldom  had  a  greater  ' '  following  ' ' 
than  on  this  occasion. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM   SWATOW   TO   SHANGHAI. 

IFTER  some  time  I  returned  to  Swatow  to 
embark  for  the  far  North,  but  not  until  I 
had  seen  something  of  one  of  the  customs 
of  the  country  in  which  I  was  deeply  interested.  I 
was  the  guest  of  a  missionary  whose  husband  is  at 
the  head  of  a  large  hospital  in  which  thousands  of 
women  are  treated  every  year.  It  occurred  to  me 
that  here  was  the  opportunity  to  see  something  of  the 
way  in  which  the  feet  of  the  women  are  made  small. 
I  was  told  that  the  women  had  the  greatest  objection 
to  showing  their  feet,  and  my  friend,  who  had  worked 
among  them  eleven  years,  had  never  found  a  woman 
who  was  willing  to  remove  the  bandages  ;  but,  never- 
theless, we  decided  to  go  through  the  hospital  in 
search  of  some  woman  who  would  accommodate  us  in 
this  respect,  and  fortune  favored  us.  We  came  to 
one  whose  feet  had  been  bound  for  forty  years.  She 
expressed  a  willingness,  if  taken  to  an  apartment  by 
herself,  to  remove  the  bandages.  In  a  small  room, 
seated  on  the  floor,  she  unwound  the  strip  of  cloth 
that  for  years  had  compressed  her  feet  into  the  small- 
est possible  size,  and  revealed  a   horrid   sight.      It 

has  been  supposed  by  many  that  the  feet  of  Chinese 

151 


152  CHINA. 

women  are  made  to  retain  their  diminutive  propor- 
tions by  encasing  them  in  wooden  or  iron  shoes  ;  but 
such  means  have  never  been  used.  The  feet  are  all 
made  small  by  binding.  A  child  is  taken  at  an  early 
age,  and  a  narrow  bandage,  about  an  inch  arid  a  half 
wide  and  two  yards  long,  is  bound  about  the  feet. 
One  end  is  placed  on  the  instep  and  brought  over  all 
the  toes  but  the  great  toe  ;  this  bandage  is  drawn 
with  such  force  that  it  pulls  the  toes  to  the  sole  of  the 
foot  where  they  finally  grow.  Viewing  the  mutilated 
foot  from  above  no  toes  can  be  seen,  and  even  when 
the  sole  is  examined  only  the  outline  can  be  traced, 
for  they  are  pressed  in  even  with  the  sole  of  the  foot. 
The  bandages  are  never  removed  except  to  replace 
them  with  clean  ones. 

I  saw  a  child  about  ten  years  old  whose  parents, 
requiring  her  services  about  the  house,  had  not  bound 
her  feet  until  she  had  reached  the  age  mentioned. 
The  poor  creature  could  not  walk  ;  she  was  carried 
about  on  the  shoulders  of  natives,  and  in  all  proba- 
bility it  would  be  two  years  before  she  could  bear  her 
weight  on  her  feet.  The  common  women,  who  hew 
wood  and  draw  water,  or  work  in  the  fields,  do  not 
have  their  feet  subjected  to  this  treatment.  The  bind- 
ing unfits  the  feet  for  any  kind  of  service,  hence  it 
must  be  confined  to  the  "better  classes."  I  have 
seen  a  full-grown  Chinawoman,  bedecked  in  silk  and 
richest  satin,  unable  to  walk  across  the  room  without 
the  aid  of  a  servant  or  a  staff.  Her  feet  were  but 
three  inches  long  1 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  learn  when  or  how  this 


CHINA.  153 

custom  was  introduced  ;  constant  inquiry  at  every 
reliable  source  failed  to  throw  light  on  its  origin.  In 
the  palace  the  practice  is  not  carried  on.  The  preseni 
ruler,  being  a  descendant  of  the  Tartars,  has  never 
allowed  this  curiously  cruel  "  fashion  "  to  make  havoc 
among  the  women  of  his  household. 

Before  leaving  Swatow  I  crossed  to  the  other  side  of 
the  bay  to  visit  the  great  Baptist  Mission  station.  We 
remained  longer  than  we  had  expected  and  a  night  of 
pitchy  blackness  overtook  us.  Our  sampan  seemed 
too  small  to  weather  a  gale  should  one  spring  up  ;  so 
it  was  decided  to  send  the  boatman  home,  and  return 
in  a  fisherman's  small  junk,  though  even  that  was 
considered  unsafe.  The  junk  was  hailed,  and  we 
started  across  perfectly  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of 
the  night.  It  was  not  more  than  a  fifteen-minute 
passage  to  the  other  side,  but  instead  of  rowing,  as  we 
supposed  the  boatman  intended  to  do,  he  spread  his 
sail  when  we  were  part  way  across,  just  catching  a 
fierce  wind  that  came  sweeping  down  the  bay.  This, 
of  course,  overturned  our  craft  and  threw  us  into  the 
sea.  The  Chinese  never  attempt  to  save  a  drowning 
person  ;  they  have  some  superstition  about  rescuing 
people  from  the  water  ;  and  for  awhile  it  seemed  as 
though  we  were  destined  to  perish.  Very  fortunately, 
however,  a  Turkish  man-of-war  had  put  into  the  har- 
bor some  time  before,  and  in  taking  a  survey  of  the 
bay  with  its  great  search-light,  saw  our  overturned 
junk.  The  life-boats  had  been  lowered  when  the  ves- 
sel anchored ;  and  seeing  our  distress  some  Turks 
sped  to  the  rescue,  and  we  were  taken  in  safety  to  the 


154  CHINA. 

shore.  The  next  morning  we  sent  messages  of  thanks 
to  the  captain,  and  a  copy  of  the  Bible  to  each  of  the 
sailors.  In  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  miles 
of  travel  this  was  the  only  accident  that  ever  befell 
me  at  sea. 

We  had  decided  to  defer  our  visit  to  Shanghai  until 
the  Decennial  Conferences,  which  were  to  take  place 
in  a  short  time.  A  number  of  missionaries  from  the 
south  were  also  to  attend,  and  for  the  sake  of  good 
company  I  decided  to  wait  and  travel  with  them.  At 
the  appointed  day  about  forty,  as  jolly  a  crowd  as 
ever  traveled  'under  sail,  started  northward.  They 
represented  many  lands  and  every  shade  of  religious 
belief,  but  all  were  bent  on  having  a  good  time.  May 
morning  dawned  bright  and  beautiful.  To  keep  up 
the  old-time  custom  of  choosing  and  crowning  a  queen 
we  decided  to  elect  her  majesty  by  popular  vote.  A 
tall  gentleman  traveling  with  us,  who  was  somewhat 
shocked  at  the  "  unconfined  joy  "  of  the  missionaries, 
took  it  upon  himself  to  maintain  the  dignity  of  the 
party.  To  encourage  him  in  his  praiseworthy  motives, 
and  show  him  how  much  we  appreciated  his  presence, 
some  of  the  fun-loving  girls  proposed  that  he  be  the 
chosen  one.  The  ballots  were  passed  around  and  he 
was  unanimously  elected.  In  mid-ocean  there  was 
little  facility  for  weaving  a  garland  fair  for  the  noble 
brow  of  the  male  queen,  but  the  ready  wit  of  one  of 
the  young  ladies  came  to  the  rescue.  Scraps  of  rib- 
bons were  clipped  from  our  garments,  the  crown  was 
decorated  with  many  colors,  and  in  a  fitting  speech 
the  dignified  gentleman  was  proclaimed  ' '  Queen  ' '  of 


CHINA.  155 

the  May.  All  on  board  participated  in  the  spirit  of 
the  hour,  and  when  night  came  we  were  the  better 
able  to  sleep  for  the  lively  enjoyment  of  the  day. 

The  steamer  was  a  grand  vessel  of  the  French  mail 
line.  From  the  time  it  started  out  from  the  moonlit 
harbor  it  never  gave  a  lurch,  but  for  two  days  plowed 
nobly  through  a  heavy  sea,  with  the  wind  blowing  a 
perfect  gale.  In  good  time  we  anchored  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Whangpoo  river,  where  we  were  taken  aboard 
a  tender,  and  two  hours  later  we  reached  the  city. 
The  change  from  southern  to  northern  China  was 
very  great.  The  ever-blooming  bowers,  rugged  hills, 
lofty  mountains,  and  trees  clothed  in  perpetual  green, 
were  all  left  behind  as  we  sailed  northward. 

From  the  north  of  the  river  to  the  city  of  Shanghai 
the  country  is  so  thickly  populated  that  it  gives  the 
appearance  of  a  continuous  city.  The  river  was  alive 
with  all  sorts  of  craft ,  propelled  by  oars,  canvas  or 
steam.  From  the  masts,  sails  and  sides  of  these  ves- 
sels floated  flags  and  banners,  for  this  was  the  Chinese 
day  of  days  —  New  Year.  It  was  a  pretty  sight,  as 
these  gayly  bedecked  boats  passed  each  other  beating 
great  gongs,  waving  flags  in  salutation  and  wishing 
each  other  good  luck  for  the  ensuing  year. 

The  river  front  of  Shanghai,  peopled  chiefly  with 
foreigners,  has  been  beautified  until  nothing  more 
could  be  desired  in  the  way  of  elegant  surroundings. 
This  section  of  the  city  has  been  set  aside  for  the 
French,  English,  Americans  and  Germans,  each  form- 
ing a  community  of  itself,  but  all  living  in  most 
friendly  relations.     The  city  proper  is  surrounded  by 


156  CHINA. 

a  parapeted  wall  forty  feet  high,  and  is  reached 
through  lofty  gateways  which  at  oue  time  could  be 
entered  only  at  certain  hours,  and  then  a  countersign 
was  required.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  cities  in 
Northern  China.  On  the  day  of  our  arrival  the 
streets  were  in  holiday  attire,  and  the  people,  arrayed 
in  their  best  clothes,  gave  themselves  up  to  pleasure 
and  worship.  They  passed  us  in  swarms,  crowding 
their  way  to  the  chief  temple  to  which  place  we  had 
started.  In  the  temple  a  lively  scene  was  presented, 
for  many  had  come  to  set  off  fire-crackers,  offer  sacri- 
fice, or  burn  incense.  There  was  no  special  form  of 
worship;  everything  was  confusion.  The  people  ap- 
peared to  have  no  reverence  for  their  ' '  house  of  wor- 
ship," but  entered  smoking,  laughing  and  talking  ; 
and  in  the  court  many  different  wares  were  being 
offered  for  sale. 

In  Shanghai  still  stands  a  "  baby  tower,"  though  it 
is  no  longer  in  use,  the  practice  of  throwing  away  fe- 
male children  having  somewhat  died  out.  In  former 
times  the  little  girls  were  often  thrown  away  before  the 
light  of  day  had  fallen  on  them.  It  was  considered 
the  only  way  to  avoid  the  expense  of  caring  for  so 
worthless  a  thing  as  a  girl.  While  it  is  true  that  the 
baby  towers  along  the  coast  are  no  longer  used,  it  is  a 
fact  that  there  is  still  little  regard  for  female  life,  and 
the  destruction  of  it  is  in  no  way  considered  a  crime. 
While  I  was  the  guest  of  a  missionary  whose  house 
stood  on  the  river  bank,  I  went  into  the  garden  one 
morning  and  saw  the  forms  of  two  dead  children.  I 
revealed  my  discovery  and  was  surprised  to  see  what 


CHINA.  157 

little  concern  it  created.  I  was  told  such  sights  were 
very  common.  The  children  were,  doubtless,  unwel- 
come girls  who  had  been  thrown  from  some  of  the 
boat-houses  into  the  river,  and  the  rising  tide  had  left 
them  on  the  bank  ;  they  were  probably  washed  into 
the  stream  again  to  be  borne  by  the  onsweeping  tide 
to  the  open  sea.  No  attempt  has  been  made  on  the 
part  of  the  authorities  to  prevent  this  wholesale  mur- 
der of  children,  and  the  people  are  destitute  of  con- 
science in  the  matter,  regarding  it  almost  a  duty  to 
put  an  end  to  the  life  of  girls.  I  saw  a  woman  who 
had  thrown  away  seven  of  her  girls,  and  told  of  it 
with  the  utmost  indifiference. 

A  kind-hearted  Chinese  has  opened  a  Foundlings' 
Home,  to  which  girls  may  be  brought  instead  of  be- 
ing thrown  away.  I  paid  a  visit  to  this  institution 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  what  care  was  bestowed  on 
the  castaways.  The  house  stood  in  a  public  thor- 
oughfare. I  entered  a  large  room,  without  furniture 
beyond  a  row  of  chairs  on  each  side.  Before  me  was 
a  small  shrine  canopied  by  heavy  tapestry,  and  be- 
tween the  parted  curtains  I  saw  the  image  of  a 
woman.  In  her  lap  and  around  her  feet  were  a 
number  of  children.  The  old  Chinese  greeted  me 
with  a  polite  bow,  and  in  answer  to  my  question 
informed  me  that  the  image  represented  the  Goddess 
of  Kindness.  The  place  was  by  no  means  an  exten- 
sive institution,  for  it  was  supported  at  the  sole  ex- 
pense of  this  humane  Chinese.  Two  nurses  cared  for 
seventeen  little  girls  who  had  been  brought  there 
instead  of  being  thrown  into  the  tower  or  the  river. 


158  CHINA. 

In  bringing  children  to  this  home  no  clue  to  the 
parent  is  ever  given.  A  small  apartment  facing  the 
street  is  fitted  np  as  a  sleeping  room  for  one  of  the 
nurses.  In  this  room  a  drawer  is  so  arranged  that 
it  can  be  pulled  out  towards  the  street,  and  in  this 
drawer  is  a  soft  bed  for  the  little  stranger.  When 
the  child  is  placed  in  the  drawer  it  is  pushed  into  the 
room,  and  in  sliding  back  a  spring  is  pressed  which 
rings  a  bell  near  the  head  of  the  nurse,  who  gathers 
in  the  little  waif  and  it  becomes  one  of  the  general 
household.  The  children  are  cared  for  until  they 
can  walk  or  talk.  If  no  one  comes  to  adopt  them, 
a  thing  rarely  done,  they  are  sent  to  the  Buddhist 
school  to  be  trained  for  nuns,  many  of  whom  are 
"found  in  these  parts. 

The  life  of  a  nun  in  China  is  very  similar  to  that  of 
a  nun  of  the  Catholic  church.  Her  life  is  devoted 
wholly  to  helping  those  about  her.  The  nuns  are  in 
appearance  very  unlike  the  other  women  of  China, 
so  unlike  that  they  are  instantly  recognized  by  their 
costume.  It  is  a  very  unexpected  thing  to  see  a  class 
of  women  who  have  adopted  a  uniform.  The  costume 
of  the  country  has  been  handed  down  from  all  the 
centuries.  It  is  a  strange  fact  that  four  thousand 
years  ago  women  walked  the  streets  in  the  same  cut 
of  dress  and  with  the  same  peculiar  twist  of  the  hair 
that  characterizes  the  women  of  China  to-day.  But 
these  devoted  women  who  have  set  aside  their  lives 
to  religious  duties,  have  proclaimed  it  to  the  world, 
not  by  long  prayers  in  the  market-places  but  by  sober 
face  and  somber  garb.     The  first  nun  I  saw  was  in 


CHINA.  159 

Shanghai.  Her  long  tunic  was  of  a  peculiar  gray 
color,  more  drab  than  gray  ;  about  her  head  was 
twisted  some  of  the  same  material  in  the  form  of  a  tur- 
ban ;  her  hair  was  closely  shaven,  and  her  copper-col- 
ored head  was  partly  exposed  at  the  crown.  Many  of 
the  women  who  belong  to  this  faith  are  devoting  their 
lives  to  the  training  of  castaway  girls,  most  of  whom 
finally  become  nuns. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A   MISSIONARY   CONFERENCE. — AN  OPIUM   PALACE. 

|HE  great  excitement  in  Shanghai  at  this 
time  was  the  coming  together  of  mission- 
aries, from  all  parts  of  the  empire,  who  are 
wont  to  thus  assemble  to  discuss  ways  and  means  and 
general  methods  of  work.  They  came  five  hundred 
strong,  and  as  some  of  them  were  from  the  very  heart 
of  China, — so  vast  in  area,  so  swarming  with  human 
life,  so  immersed  in  darkness, — they  came  breathing 
the  needs  of  the  nation  upon  the  very  air  that  it 
might  be  wafted  to  the  lands  beyond,  and  a  Mace- 
donian cry  fall  upon  the  ears  of  those  in  distant 
countries.  Some  of  these  good  people  had  traveled 
three  months,  either  by  cart  or  mule  back,  to  reach 
the  convention.  One  missionary  walked  hundreds  of 
miles,  preaching  the  gospel  all  the  way,  and  reached 
the  city  in  an  almost  dying  condition,  "But,"  said  he, 
"  I  preached  a  sermon  nearly  a  thousand  miles  long." 
The  workers  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  came  in 
native  dress,  which  costume  they  adopt  before  going 
into  the  interior,  regarding  it  as  a  means  of  protection. 
The  garments  were  not  unbecoming  to  some  of  the 
sweet-faced  girls,  but  it  required  a  great  amount  of 
good  looks  to  offset  the  rigid  severity  of  the  dress. 


CHINA.  l6i 

The  men — well,  it  was  positively  funny  to  see  them  ! 
When  the  first  one  was  ushered  into  my  presence  it 
was  with  great  eflFort  that  I  suppressed  a  smile.  This 
auburn-tressed  son  of  England  had  adopted  the  dress 
of  a  better  class.  The  amusing  feature  of  his  make- 
up was  a  braid  of  red  hair  more  than  a  yard  long, 
which  hung  over  a  bright  red  tunic,  and  by  contrast, 
showed  to  great  advantage.  His  head  was  shaven 
close  over  the  crown,  and  the  small  cap  afiforded  no 
protection  from  the  sun,  which  had  bronzed  his  face 
almost  to  the  shade  of  a  Chinese.  The  loose  trousers 
were  bound  about  the  ankles,  and  his  feet  were  thrust 
into  a  pair  of  cloth  shoes  with  cork  soles  nearly  an 
inch  thick.  This  was  the  general  appearance  of  all 
the  missionaries  belonging  to  the  Inland  Mission. 

The  conference  was  full  of  interest,  and  only  one 
incident  turned  our  thoughts  from  the  duties  of  the 
hour.  It  had  occurred  to  an  enterprising  photo- 
grapher that  it  would  be  some  time  before  so  good- 
looking  a  company  would  again  be  found  together. 
This  was  the  moment  to  give  to  the  world  the  faces 
of  those  who  were  engaged  in  the  worthy  enterprise 
of  spreading  the  gospel  through  China.  Accord- 
ingly he  sent  his  card  to  the  confefence  with  the  mod- 
est request  that  they  "adjourn  to  be  photographed." 
The  resolution  was  put  to  the  meeting,  the  natural 
vanity  of  human  nature  prevailed,  and  the  duties  of 
the  hour  were  deferred  for  a  time.  The  spot  selected 
for  the  photographic  ' '  ordeal ' '  was  a  vacant  lot  where 
a  fine  clump  of  bamboos  would  form  a  ' '  background ' ' ; 
and  a  staging,  of  amphitheater  form,  twenty  feet  high. 


1 62  CHINA. 

was  erected,  with  seats  from  top  to  bottom.  On  this 
staging  we  were  all  to  arrange  ourselves  in  striking 
attitudes.  Hudson  Taylor,  of  the  C.  I.  M.,  and  his 
missionaries,  in  native  dress,  were  seated  on  the  top 
row  ;  and  others  grouped  themselves  below,  friends 
with  friends,  and  prepared  to  look  their  sweetest. 
While  the  seating  was  going  on  a  German  missionary 
made  his  way  towards  a  young  lady  to  whom  he  had 
been  paying  special  attention,  and  as  he  carelessly 
threw  himself  on  the  seat  upon  which  her  feet  were 
resting,  he  looked  up  languishingly  into  her  face  and 
said,  "  I  would  so  like  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel." 
On  a  box  in  front  of  us  stood  the  artist  giving  direc- 
tions for  the  arrangement  of  dress  and  attitude. 
When  we  were  all  grouped  into  the  artistic  picture 
he  was  anxious  to  hand  down  to  posterity,  he  said, 
"  Now,  every  one  look  pleasant ;  every  one  smile," — 
and  behold  !  just  as  our  faces  were  wreathed  in  our 
most  bewitching  smiles,  a  sudden  collapse  of  the 
staging  brought  us  all  to  the  ground. 

I  fell  upon  the  "languishing  German,"  and  seeing 
the  blood  pour  from  his  nose  I  asked  if  he  were  killed  : 
his  reply  assured  me  that  he  was  very  much  alive. 
Sandwiched  in  between  several  tiers  of  fellow-suflfer- 
ers,  four  or  five  beneath  me,  and  two  or  three  above, 
the  only  movable  portion  of  my  body  was  my  head  ; 
this  I  turned  in  all  directions  to  grasp  the  situation. 
In  thus  surveying  the/a//^«  mass  I  saw  one  man  in  a 
plight  at  which  I  heartlessly  laughed  outright.  This 
same  man  was  noted  for  his  excessive  politeness.  He 
had  evidently  been  thrown  from  a  high  seat,  and  the 


CHINA.  163 

distance  had  added  momentum  to  his  fall ;  for  on 
reaching  the  ground  he  had  landed  on  his  back  just 
beyond  where  I  was  pinned  in  by  a  wriggling  mass 
above  and  a  squirming  mass  beneath.  Two  or  three 
men  in  their  hasty  descent  had  fallen  over  this  good 
brother,  and  his  head  was  the  only  portion  of  his  body 
in  sight.  Lifting  it  slightly  from  the  ground  he  took 
a  calm  survey  of  the  scene,  and  then,  with  the  Ches- 
terfieldian  politeness  that  never  for  a  moment  forsook 
him,  he  asked,  "Gentlemen,  may  I  trouble  you  to 
move  a  little,  please  ?  " 

The  natives  rushed  into  the  inclosure  from  the 
streets  and  made  frantic  attempts  to  rescue  the 
women.  In  their  efforts  to  render  service  they  al- 
most disjointed  some  of  us.  A  Chinaman  would  take 
hold  of  a  woman  by  the  arm,  and  pull  away  with 
seven-horse-power  to  drag  her  out  of  the  human 
debris,  and  as  she  was  thus  violently  withdrawn  it 
was  with  sad  parting  from  some  of  her  raiment,  mak- 
ing it  necessary  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  Some  of  the 
ladies  fainted,  and  were  carried  into  a  house  facing 
the  inclosure.  In  trying  to  minister  to  these  I  lost 
sight  of  the  rescue  work,  and  when  my  attention  was 
again  directed  there,  it  was  to  behold  an  indescribable 
scene  never  to  be  forgotten.  All  had  recovered  their 
footing  in  a  more  or  less  dilapidated  condition — hats 
gone,  dresses  and  coats  torn,  and  umbrellas  broken, 
to  say  nothing  of  physical  damage  sustained.  When 
it  was  learned  that  all  had  escaped  death  some  of  the 
rescued  began  to  sing  the  doxology.  It  was  then  that 
the  photographer  should  have  been  on  hand  to  take  a 


1 64  CHINA. 

picture,  the  like  of  which  I  never  expect  to  see  agaii.. 
This  conchided  my  "down-sittings"  and  my  "  up- 
risings "  with  that  conference. 

In  traveling  through  China  it  soon  becomes  appar- 
ent that  contact  with  the  western  world  has  intro- 
duced habits  that  are  anything  but  elevating  to  the 
people.  It  is  a  fact  that  western  civilization  without 
the  subduing  effects  of  Christianity  is  the  worst- 
known  civilization.  It  is  another  fact  that  the  peo- 
ple of  the  East  have  fallen  into  the  way  of  our  vices 
while  our  virtues  have  made  no  impression  on  them. 
Hence,  I  should  say  that  they  have  in  no  way  been 
improved  by  forming  treaties  with  other  powers. 
These  facts  are  so  evident  that  any  ordinary  traveler 
must  be  impressed  by  them,  especially  if  he  note  how 
the  people  have  become  demoralized  by  opium  intro- 
duced by  a  western  and  so-called  Christian  country. 
One  of  the  "  sights"  of  Shanghai  is  the  great  opium 
palace  where  the  Chinese  are  debauched  by  thou- 
sands. 

In  company  with  several  others  I  made  the  rounds 
of  the  principal  opium  "joints,"  that  is  to  say  the 
largest  places,  for  a  visit  to  more  than  a  small  number 
of  them  would  be  quite  impossible  in  one  evening  — 
the  dens  of  this  one  city  alone  numbering  two  thou- 
sand. The  first  place  we  visited  was  a  large  structure 
three  stories  high,  the  whole  of  which  was  given  up 
to  opium  smoking,  as  many  as  two  thousand  indulg- 
ing every  night.  We  reached  the  "palace"  about 
midnight,  when  the  greatest  number  were  coming 
and  going,    and   the    place  was  fairly  teeming   with 


CHINA.  165 

tsiUvjkers.  The  crowds  passed  us  up  and  down,  push- 
ing us  to  right  and  left,  making  it  anything  but  an 
easy  task  to  reach  the  upper  part  of  the  building. 
The  first  floor  was  one  large  room  divided  into  stalls. 
The  partitions  extended  but  part  way  to  the  ceiling, 
and  archways  served  as  doors.  In  each  stall  was 
room  for  eight  smokers.  The  only  furnishings  of 
these  small  apartments  were  divans  along  the  side ; 
these  were  three  feet  from  the  floor,  and  about  four 
feet  wide.  The  smokers  were  in  a  reclining  position 
facing  each  other,  and  between  every  couple  burned  a 
lamp,  over  which  the  opium  was  cooked.  Here  we 
saw  men  in  all  degrees  of  intoxication.  Some  were 
taking  their  first  pipe,  paying  special  attention  to  the 
business  in  hand  ;  others  had  taken  just  enough  to 
make  them  happy  or  silly.  One  would  look  up  with 
an  idiotic  grin,  muttering  something  in  an  undertone, 
and  puffing  away  at  his  pipe  ;  another  would  lie  in  a 
stupor,  wholly  unconscious  of  what  was  going  on, 
from  which  he  would  awake  after  a  time  and  call  for 
more  opium.  The  air  was  black  and  heavy  with 
smoke  and  the  fumes  of  the  drug.  As  we  went  from 
stall  to  stall  we  were  obliged  to  fan  away  the  clouds 
of  smoke  before  we  could  see  what  was  going  on.  On 
each  floor  the  rich  and  poor,  the  high  and  low, 
through  the  fascination  for  this  drug,  met  on  the 
same  footing. 

After  having  visited  the  dens  a  few  times  it  was  an 
easy  matter  to  tell  who  smoked  and  who  did  not,  so 
decided  are  the  traces  of  this  drug  on  all  who  indulge. 
3ome  of  the  poor  wretches  seemed  to  be  on  the  verge 


1 66  CHINA. 

of  the  grave,  they  were  so  wasted  in  form.  Theii 
skin  was  drawn  over  their  bones  and  their  sunken 
eyes  and  strange  color  told  only  too  plainly  of  the 
grim  monster  that  was  on  their  track.  In  several 
stalls  (though  I  was  told  it  was  not  a  common 
sight),  I  saw  mothers  smoking,  with  their  babes 
propped  up  at  their  sides,  and  I  have  seen  little  chil- 
dren not  more  than  three  or  four  years  of  age  quite 
stupid  from  the  effects  of  the  drug.  The  habit  fas- 
tens itself  upon  the  helpless  victim  and  he  is  power- 
less under  it.  In  one  wretched  hovel  we  entered,  a 
dying  man  was  calling  for  his  pipe,  which  he  had  not 
had  for  a  day  or  two,  and  his  pleading  was  something 
awful  to  hear.  At  last  the  medical  missionary  who 
was  attending  him  said,  "He  cannot  live  anyway, 
and  if  it  will  comfort  him  any  in  his  last  hour,  let  him 
have  it."  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  two  hundred 
millions  of  smokers  in  China. 

lycaving  the  ports  of  China  and  going  inland  the 
mode  of  travel  becomes  more  difficult.  Horses  and 
mules  are  not  common.  In  many  places  there  are 
no  roads,  and  the  use  of  carts  is  impossible.  The 
natives  have  therefore  devised  a  means  of  locomotion, 
unknown  in  other  parts,  which  seems  to  them  to  be 
a  very  acceptable  way  for  getting  about ;  but  I  found 
it  much  more  fatiguing  than  any  of  the  other  means 
of  travel  I  had  tried.  The  vehicle  referred  to  is  a 
wheelbarrow.  It  is  somewhat  different  in  construc- 
tion from  that  in  common  use  among  us,  but  it  is  pro- 
pelled in  like  fashion.  The  wheel  is  much  larger, 
and  comes  up  through  the  center,  with  room  for  a 


CHINA.  169 

seat  on  each  side.  One  is  intended  for  the  baggage 
and  the  other  for  the  traveler.  When  I  first  started 
out  in  this  strange  conveyance  there  were  several 
things  about  it  that  I  did  not  quite  understand.  In 
the  first  place  the  baggage  must  balance  the  rider. 
I  did  not  know  this,  and  began  my  journey  in  a  some- 
what lop-sided  condition.  I  soon  found  a  missionary 
going  in  my  direction,  and  I  invited  her  to  a  seat  in 
my  wheelbarrow.  With  this  young  woman  and  my 
baggage  on  one  side,  and  myself  on  the  other,  we 
were  properly  balanced.  The  coolie  put  a  heavy 
strap  around  his  shoulders  and  fastened  the  ends  to 
the  handles  of  the  wheelbarrow,  pushing  us  with  all 
his  might.  We  made  very  slow  progress,  and  found 
it  a  most  fatiguing  way  of  travel.  Seated  on  one 
limb,  and  with  one  foot  dangling  in  a  rope  stirrup, 
the  position  soon  became  very  tiring.  I  suggested 
to  the  missionary  that  perhaps  we  would  walk  awhile 
and  rest  ourselves.  It  would  have  been  well  had  I 
learned  all  about  this  mode  of  conveyance  before  I 
started,  as  an  untold  amount  of  discomfort  would 
have  been  avoided.  In  getting  off  the  wheelbarrow 
the  travelers  must  step  to  the  ground  at  the  same  time. 
I  did  not  know  this,  and  at  my  suggestion  to  walk 
and  rest  awhile  my  companion  lightly  jumped  from 
her  seat  to  the  ground,  my  weight  threw  the  wheel- 
barrow out  of  balance,  and  I  was  left  by  the  wayside. 
I  rose  from  the  dust,  shook  myself,  and  resolved  that 
at  the  nearest  village  I  would  forever  abandon  the 
wheelbarrow,  and  find  some  other  means  of  transit — 
or  walk  the  rest  of  the  distance. 


SIAM. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A    RIOT    AT   SEA. — ARRIVAL   AT    BANGKOK. 

|MCNG  the  accessible  countries  of  the  Orient, 
Siam  is  less  frequented  than  any  of  the  lands 
having  a  coast-line  ;  possibly  because  it  lies 
just  to  one  side  of  the  usual  course  of  travel,  and  the 
vessels  running  to  Bangkok  are  not  the  most  comfort- 
able in  the  world.  There  is  no  direct  communication 
between  Hong-Kong  and  Siam  ;  the  steamers  are 
cargo  and  coolie  boats,  and  anyone  wishing  to  make 
the  trip  must  be  prepared  to  forego  many  of  the  com- 
forts and  delights  of  a  large  "liner,"  and  resign  him- 
self to  be  carried  twenty-four  hundred  miles  by  sea 
when  the  real  distance  should  be  nine  hundred. 

At  Hong-Kong  I  boarded  a  small  steamer  at  mid- 
night, and  was  at  once  shown  by  a  Chinese  steward 
to  my  cabin.  We  sailed  out  of  the  smooth  waters  of 
the  bay  into  the  ever-restless  China  Sea,  through 
which  I  had  already  passed,  and  of  which  I  still 
retained  most  lively  recollections.  Because  of  the 
on-coming  storm  I  remained  in  my  cabin  for  three 
days,  seeing  no  one  but  the  pig-tailed  celestial  who, 

in  reply  to  my  question  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the 

170 


SI  AM.  171 

Stewardess,  blandly  informed  me  that  he  was  ' '  the 
stewardess."  Three  days  later,  when  I  was  able  to 
get  on  deck,  I  encountered  the  captain  for  the  first 
time,  and  to  my  astonishment  found  that  I  was  the 
only  white  passenger;  indeed,  the  captain,  four  offi- 
cers and  myself  were  the  only  white  persons  on  board. 
The  ship  was  manned  by  Malays,  Javanese  and  Cin- 
galese, and  was  "loaded"  with  thirteen  hundred 
Chinese  coolies,  who  were  being  taken  to  Singapore 
and  Bangkok.  In  this  strange  company  I  was  to 
spend  thirteen  days.  The  captain  was  very  kind. 
When  he  learned  that  I  was  a  poor  sailor  he  took 
other  quarters  for  himself,  and  had  his  large,  airy 
cabin  made  ready  for  me,  which  added  greatly  to  my 
comfort. 

The  class  of  Chinese  who  leave  their  own  country 
are  usually  the  very  lowest,  and  this  cargo  of  human 
freight  was  no  exception.  To  add  to  their  general 
unattractiveness  many  of  them  were  afflicted  with  sore 
eyes  and  skin  diseases.  A  portion  of  the  ship  was 
curtained  off  with  heavy  canvas,  and  here  the  coolies 
were  packed  in  like  so  many  sheep.  They  slept  on 
deck  on  a  piece  of  matting  and  the  usual  Chinese 
pillow,  which  is  made  either  of  crockery  or  wood. 
During  the  day  their  chief  occupation  was  gambling, 
and  their  continuous  chatter  could  be  heard  through 
the  entire  night.  Gambling  and  opium-smoking  are 
forbidden  on  shipboard,  yet  it  was  evident  that  these 
rules  were  not  enforced  on  this  boat,  for  both  were 
engaged  in,  frequently  with  unhappy  results. 

One  day,  toward  evening,  I  sat  in  the  saloon  pon- 


172  SIAM. 

dering,  weak  and  weary,  over  a  rusty  volume  of  for 
gotten  lore — for  I  was  wont,  on  this  long  trip,  to  study 
up  ancient  history.  While  I  was  thus  engaged,  I 
heard  an  unusual  sound.  Stepping  to  the  door  to 
see  what  it  might  mean  I  encountered  the  captain, 
apparently  greatly  alarmed,  for  he  was  ashy  pale. 
Before  I  had  time  to  speak,  he  took  me  by  the  shoul- 
ders, turned  me  about,  pushed  me  into  the  cabin,  and 
locked  the  door.  It  was  all  done  in  a  moment,  and  no 
word  of  explanation  was  uttered  by  the  greatly  ex- 
cited captain;  I  was  simply  locked  up,  very  much  as 
a  little  child  might  be  for  punishment.  Truth  to  tell, 
I  was  so  indignant  at  the  captain  for  this  school-girl- 
like treatment  that  I  almost  forgot  to  be  afraid  of  what 
next  happened.  The  noise  increased.  I  heard  the 
captain  order  out  the  guns  and  swords.  A  great  rush 
was  made  to  the  room  next  to  the  one  in  which  I  was 
incarcerated,  and  I  could  hear  the  general  hauling 
down  of  implements  of  warfare,  though  with  no  idea 
of  the  cause.  Before  my  mind  passed  a  truly  awful 
panorama — for  I  thought  of  pirates,  who  so  often  fre- 
quent that  sea,  and  feared  that  if  I  escaped  with  my 
life  at  all,  it  would  be  to  wade  ankle-deep  through 
human  blood.  These  thoughts  were  banished  only 
to  give  room  to  the  idea  that  it  might  be  mutiny,  for 
I  knew  there  was  little  love  lost  between  the  captain 
and  his  crew.  For  two  hours  the  awful  suspense 
lasted.  One  can  live  almost  a  life-time  in  two  hours 
such  as  those.  When  at  last  the  captain  opened  the 
door,  and  I  learned  that  the  cause  of  the  commotion 
was  only  a  riot,  and  I  had  been  locked  up  for  fear  I 


SI  AM.  173 

would  faint  away,  my  indignation  knew  no  bounds. 
It  seemed  that  the  gamblers  fell  into  a  dispute  over 
the  game,  and  a  quarrel  ensued,  during  which  one  of 
the  men  was  picked  up  and  thrown  over  the  rail  into 
the  sea.  The  vessel  was  stopped,  and  an  attempt 
made  to  rescue  the  drowning  man,  but  without  suc- 
cess. The  captain  could  not  speak  a  word  of  Chinese, 
and  the  only  way  in  which  he  could  maintain  order 
was  to  bring  forth  the  guns  and  threaten  the  coolies 
with  instant  death.  Before  we  reached  our  destina- 
tion a  second  riot  occurred,  and  twenty  men  were 
taken  into  port  prisoners  in  chains. 

Thirteen  days — the  most  wretched  and  uncomforta- 
ble in  my  life — brought  us  to  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
where  we  anchored  to  await  a  favoring  tide.  The 
great  waves  were  left  behind,  and  the  salt  sea-breeze 
gave  place  to  a  languid  air  which  lulled  us  into  soft 
repose,  a  state  easily  reached  in  that  country.  On 
each  side  the  banks  were  fringed  with  tropical  vege- 
tation, and  in  the  distance  we  could  see  the  tall  cocoa 
and  betelnut  trees  lift  their  plumed  heads  like  a  row 
of  knights.  A  delightful  sail  of  twenty  miles  up  this 
river  brought  us  to  the  city  of  Bangkok,  the  capital  of 
Siam. 

Arrangements  had  been  made  that  my  first  view  of 
the  city  should  be  from  the  top  of  a  great  pagoda. 
We  steamed  off  in  a  little  launch  and  made  our  way 
to  Wat  Sei  Kati.  Wat  designates  the  inclosure 
around  a  temple  ;  it  contains  not  only  the  temple,  but 
pagodas,  shrines,  pavilions,  preaching-houses,  and 
many  "  rest-houses"  for  the  priests.     These  Wats  are 


174  SI  AM. 

most  extensive,  and  sometimes  include  numbers  of 
acres.  This  particular  Wat  contains  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres. 

The  pagoda  for  the  top  of  which  we  had  started 
was  built  of  red  brick,  with  a  base  about  one  thou- 
sand feet  in  circumference.  This  was  irregular  in 
construction  and  had  many  niches  in  the  wall,  show- 
ing where  Time,  the  fell  destroyer,  had  left  his  mark. 
The  storms  of  a  century  had  washed  the  mortar  from 
between  some  of  the  bricks :  others  had  been  dis- 
placed, and  in  the  cavities  thus  made  seeds  had  been 
lodged  by  birds  or  the  passing  wind.  The  mist,  dew 
and  sunshine  had  warmed  all  into  life.  Creepers, 
ferns,  and  many  forms  of  vegetation  so  luxuriant  in 
that  country  had  twined  themselves  into  a  confused 
jumble,  giving  the  whole  base  a  ruinous  appearance. 
The  entire  structure  was  about  three  hundred  feet 
high,  capped  by  a  tall  spire  extending  from  the  top 
of  a  bell-shaped  dome. 

Up  rickety  old  stairs,  through  weeds  and  grasses, 
we  made  our  way,  ascending  a  flight  of  many  hun- 
dred steps,  winding  around  spiral  fashion,  until  we 
reached  the  dome,  which  formed  a  shrine  for  a  small 
image  of  the  Buddha.  It  was  evident  someone  had 
just  preceded  us,  for  an  offering  of  flowers  and  burn- 
ing incense  lay  before  the  god.  The  ceiling  of  the 
dome  was  covered  with  heavj'  mildew,  and  in  the 
dampness  and  darkness  scores  of  bats  had  sought 
refuge. 

This  lofty  point  affords  a  fine  view  of  the  city  and 
its  strange  surroundings,  the  like  of  which   is  not 


SI  AM.  175 

seen  in  any  other  part  of  the  Orient.  The  most  strik- 
ing feature  is  the  long  river  which  forms  the  chief 
thoroughfare.  Upon  this  floats  almost  every  kind  of 
craft  that  can  be  thought  of,  the  most  conspicuous 
being  his  majesty's  war- vessels  anchored  near  the 
landing.  Tiny  skiffs— hardly  large  enough  to  hold 
a  good-sized  dog — hewn  out  of  small  trees  from  the 
the  jungle,  float  among  the  curtained,  canvased,  and 
gilded  barges  of  the  nobles.  All  conditions  and 
classes  ply  their  boats  in  endless  activity,  day  and 
night,  over  the  smooth  surface  of  the  water.  On  the 
bosom  of  this  river  is  carried  on  all  the  trade  and 
trafl&c  of  the  vast  city,  equal  in  size  to  any  in  the 
world.  At  a  central  point,  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  natives  gather  at  the  water  market  with  their 
boats,  laden  almost  to  sinking  with  rice,  vegetables 
and  fish,  all  of  which  must  be  sold  before  the  sun  is 
high  in  the  heavens.  It  is  a  wonderful  sight,  though 
somewhat  confusing.  Old  women,  wrinkled  and  worn 
and  scantily  clad,  cry  out  their  wares  in  sharp  and 
shrill  tones,  while  small  children,  both. boys  and  girls, 
try  to  outcry  them.  The  noise  and  bustle  continue 
for  some  hours,  when  the  venders  return  to  their 
place  of  rest  for  food  and  a  midday  nap  ;  there  they 
remain  until  the  sun  disappears  behind  the  towering 
cocoanut  and  betel  trees. 

Unlike  the  Chinese,  these  people  live  in  boat 
houses  instead  of  house-boats.  The  houses  are  regu- 
larly constructed  with  apartments  and  living  conven- 
iences, and  a  boat  bottom  made  of  rafters.  Heavy 
posts  are  driven  into  the  bed  of  the  river,  along  each 


176  SI  AM. 

bank,  to  which  the  houses  are  made  fast  either  by 
ropes  or  chains.  In  going  up  or  down  the  river  it 
is  a  common  sight  to  see  a  private  house  or  a  shop 
floating  with  the  tide,  looking  for  a  better  business 
place,  or,  perhaps,  more  congenial  neighbors.  Thus, 
thousands  and  thousands  live,  floating  and  drifting 
their  time  and  lives  away.  From  the  river,  in  all 
directions,  are  water-courses,  used  as  streets,  forming 
a  perfect  network  of  canals  through  the  entire  city. 

The  foreign  population  live  on  the  land,  but  be- 
cause of  these  waterways  it  is  necessary  to  travel  in 
house-boats.  In  the  center  of  a  small  skiff  a  shelter 
is  built  for  protection  from  the  sun,  which  often 
proves  fatal  to  the  careless.  In  this  small  space 
business  men  are  rowed  to  and  from  their  offices. 
Usually,  six  oarsmen  are  required,  four  at  the  oars 
and  a  relay  of  two.  This  mode  of  travel  is  most  try- 
ing to  one  accustomed  to  rapid  transit  ;  and  in  get- 
ting to  and  from  places  much  time  is  lost  that  might 
be  otherwise  utilized  with  profit. 


CHAPTER  II. 

PRIESTS   AND   PEOPLE. 

|HE  greater  part  of  the  habitations  of  Bang- 
kok are  found  upon  the  river.  The  dwell- 
ings on  the  land  help  to  make  up  the  vari- 
ety in  that  far-away  place.  The  drive  on  the  main- 
land is  known  as  the  King's  Road,  in  which  I  saw 
dififerent  but  not  greater  sights  than  those  along  the 
river.  The  street  scenes  are  a  moving,  ever-changing 
panorama.  As  we  drove  along,  there  trooped  past 
me  women  and  children  of  many  shades  and  nation- 
alities. I  was  told  that  no  less  than  fifteen  nationali- 
ties passed  us,  all  dark-skinned.  Of  these,  standing 
out  most  conspicuous,  was  a  class  of  men  seen  in  dif- 
ferent attire  in  all  parts  of  Asia — the  ever-present 
Buddhist  priest.  In  Siam  they  are  more  noticeable 
because  of  their  peculiar  dress,  which  is  a  very  bright 
yellow.  The  garment  hangs  in  graceful  folds  about 
the  body,  one  shoulder  being  exposed,  while  over  the 
other  is  thrown  a  long  narrow  strip  of  silk  the  color 
of  the  robe. 

Hundreds  of  these  priests  are  seen  daily  in  the 
streets.  The  religion  of  the  country  requires  each 
man  to  enter  the  priesthood  for  three  years  of  his  life, 
during  which  time  he  must  withdraw  from  his  family, 
and  live  in  the  temple  grounds.     The  priests  are  sup- 

177 


178  SI  AM. 

ported  by  alms  from  the  common  people, — and  in 
Bangkok  alone,  thirty  thousand  able-bodied  men  are 
thus  maintained  in  indolence.  They  are  required  to 
beg  their  food  each  day,  gathering  only  a  sufficient 
amount  for  two  meals,  which  they  are  supposed  to 
take  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  Because  of  the  severe 
heat,  all  classes  bestir  themselves  while  we  are  still 
wont  to  slumber.  As  soon  as  the  gray  dawn  streaks 
the  morning  sky,  the  first  thing  to  meet  the  eye  is  the 
begging  priest,  with  his  yellow  robes  flowing  in  the 
breeze.  With  a  large  brown  bowl  under  his  arm,  he 
goes  from  house  to  house  where  the  morning  meal  is 
being  prepared,  and  begs  a  spoonful  of  rice  from  each 
cooking-pot.  When  his  bowl  is  filled,  he  returns  to 
the  temple  grounds,  where  most  of  the  day  is  spent  in 
reading  and  prayer. 

In  my  wanderings  I  came  across  numbers  of  them 
reading  from  their  sacred  books,  a  copy  of  which  I 
very  much  desired.  I  asked  my  guide  to  try  to  buy 
one,  but  the  devout  priest  told  him  he  dared  not  sell 
it,  though  if  I  would  put  the  silver  down  he  would  go 
away  while  I  took  the  volume.  His  conscience  being 
thus  easily  satisfied,  I  became  the  possessor  of  one  of 
these  books,  which  is  a  great  curiosity.  The  letters 
are  scratched  by  some  sharp-pointed  instrument  on 
long  polished  strips  from  the  fan  palm-tree.  When 
these  artistic  characters  have  been  formed,  the  leaf  is 
rubbed  with  a  black  preparation  to  bring  out  the  let- 
ters. The  strips  are  then  placed  one  upon  the  other 
in  the  order  of  reading,  and  the  whole  is  bound  to- 
gether with  a  silk  cord. 


srAM.  179 

Besides  the  groups  of  priests  hurrying  by,  could  be 
seen  great  numbers  of  Chinese.  In  this  warm  cli- 
mate, if  possible  more  enervating  than  that  of  their 
own  country,  they  have  adopted  the  Siamese  fashion 
of  dispensing,  practically,  with  clothing.  One  of  the 
most  embarrassing  situations  to  a  stranger  is  to  en- 
counter these  people  in  their  scanty  apparel — an  apol- 
ogy only  for  clothes.  The  heat  is  so  intense  that  a 
thin  cotton  garment  becomes  a  burden  hardly  to  be 
borne  ;  and  even  thus  clad  the  coolies  are  in  a  per- 
petual state  of  perspiration,  which  oozes  from  every 
pore  of  their  bodies. 

The  natives  are  low  of  stature,  dark-skinned,  with 
short,  black  hair,  worn  in  the  same  fashion  by  men 
and  women  alike,  brushed  straight  from  their  fore- 
heads. They  have  large,  bright  eyes  that  might  in 
anger  emit  sparks,  and  sometimes  flash  to  no  good 
purpose.  These  people  would  be  called  fairly  good- 
looking  but  for  their  filthy  habit  of  chewing  betel. 
I  know  of  no  natives  in  the  world  who  have  not 
formed  some  unnatural  habit,  either  of  chewing  or 
taking  stimulants.  Tobacco,  opium,  betelnut,  strong 
drink,  or  some  equivalent,  are  used  by  all  conditions 
of  humanity,  each  bringing  physical  weakness  and 
moral  degradation.  The  Siamese  is  a  slave  to  the 
betelnut,  which  grows  on  a  tall  tree  very  much  like 
the  cocoanut  palm  in  appearance,  though  in  girth 
much  less.  There  is  the  same  clustering  of  leaves  at 
the  top,  among  which  the  nuts  grow  in  a  large  bunch 
like  bananas.  They  are  about  the  size  of  an  English 
walnut,    and    are    gathered    while    still    immature. 


i8o  SI  AM. 

When  mixed  with  other  ingredients  and  spread  on  a 
green  leaf  they  are  taken  to  the  market-place  for  sale. 
It  is  safe  to  say  everybody,  from  the  king  down, 
chews  the  betelnut.  It  is  impossible  to  disguise  the 
fact,  for  by  its  use  the  lips  and  teeth  become  so  dis- 
colored that  these  otherwise  passably  good-looking 
people  are  rendered  disgusting  in  appearance.  The 
lips  become  brown  and  swollen,  and  the  teeth  per- 
fectly black  and  covered  with  a  thick  coating. 

The  men  and  women  dress  much  alike,  and  two 
garments  are  the  extent  of  their  limited  wardrobe  ; 
for  the  common  people  possess  no  more  than  the 
clothes  they  have  on.  These  garments  are  simply 
two  straight  pieces  of  cloth  woven  in  the  dimensions 
in  which  they  are  worn.  The  first  is  about  a  yard 
and  a  quarter  wide  and  three  yards  long.  This  is 
wound  about  the  body  and  brought  up  between  the 
thighs,  and  forms  a  substitute  for  trousers.  It  is  ad- 
justed without  either  hooks,  buttons,  pins,  or  fasten- 
ings of  any  kind  ;  a  peculiar  twist,  that  no  one  seems 
able  to  imitate,  prevents  it  from  falling  off.  This 
"garment"  is  worn  day  and  night.  Another  strip 
forms  the  cover  for  the  upper  part  of  the  body.  It  is 
brought  across  the  back  under  the  arms  to  the  front, 
and  there  tied  or  twisted.  This  leaves  the  arms  and 
shoulders  entirely  exposed.  When  the  heat  of  the 
country  is  taken  into  consideration,  this  simplicity  of 
dress  is  to  be  envied.  I  groaned  beneath  a  burden  of 
clothes  known  only  in  civilized  lands,  and  found  life 
and  clothes  alike  a  torment.    But  these  simple  chil- 


SI  AM.  i8l 

dren  of  nature  were  so  clad  that  they  experienced  no 
discomfort  even  in  the  hottest  sun. 

The  women  are  in  the  most  enslaved  condition  of 
any  women  in  the  world.  They  have  neither  legal 
nor  social  status,  and  not  one  of  them  could  own  a 
paper  of  pins  in  her  own  right.  Every  woman  is 
branded  on  the  wrist  to  show  to  which  branch  of  the 
imperial  family  she  belongs  ;  and  if  a  man  becomes 
involved  in  debt,  he  pawns  his  wife  to  pay  the  bill. 
She  enters  service  and  works  until  the  amount  is  paid, 
then  goes  home  to  him  again. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   SLEEPING   BUDDHA. 

OST  Siamese,  including  the  king,  are  Bud- 
dhists, and  their  idols  are  set  up  in  the  most 
artistic  temples  of  Asia.  The  architecture 
belongs  entirely  to  this  country.  The  buildings  are 
high,  with  arched  and  curved  roofs  of  fantastic  design. 
The  roof  is  formed  of  three  rows  of  eaves,  extending 
one  below  the  other.  These  are  finished  with  highly 
colored  porcelain,  cut  in  various  shapes,  and  at  the 
edge  rows  of  small  bells,  said  to  be  of  gold,  are  placed 
a  few  feet  apart.  These  are  so  light  that  the  wind 
sets  them  tinkling,  and  a  sweet  ripple  of  music  is 
borne  out  on  the  breeze  that  can  be  heard  for  some 
distance. 

In  one  of  these  buildings  sleeps  in  endless  repose 
the  great  Buddha,  the  largest  idol  in  the  world.  The 
temple  itself  is  a  splendid  structure,  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  all  the  two  hundred  in  Bangkok.  The  high 
tiled  roof  comes  to  an  abrupt  point,  and  from  each 
side  extends  the  square  finishings.  The  sides  are 
gilded  and  inlaid  with  cut  glass  of  various  colors,  in 
the  shape  of  diamonds,  presenting  a  gorgeous  ap- 
pearance where  the  roof  peeps  out  from  among  the 
feathery  foliage.  In  different  parts  of  the  interior 
stand  life-sized  images  with  one  hand  placed  over  th^ 

|8? 


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^^^^ 

The  Sleeping  Buddha,  Siani. 


SI  AM.  185 

breast  and  the  other  raised,  as  if  in  solemn  warning 
to  the  passer-by.  The  central  figure  in  the  temple 
is  the  great  sleeping  idol.  Its  position  is  recumbent, 
the  head  resting  upon  one  hand.  The  idol  extends 
almost  the  whole  length  of  the  temple.  It  is  built 
of  masonry,  covered  with  gold  leaf,  and  is  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  long,  and  forty  feet  through  the 
thickest  part  of  the  body.  Its  feet  are  five  yards 
long,  and  its  toes  one  yard.  On  its  toe-nails  are 
inscribed  the  virtues  of  Buddha,  ten  in  number.  The 
soles  are  inlaid  with  designs  in  mother-of-pearl, 
beaten  bronze  and  chased  gold,  which  represent 
the   various    transmigrations   of  Buddha. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  the  place  presented  a  some- 
what weird  scene.  The  temple  is  closed  at  night  by 
great  wooden  shutters  put  up  at  the  long  windows. 
Toward  evening,  just  as  the  last  rays  of  the  setting 
sun  lingered  on  the  roof-spires  and  hilltops,  I  entered 
the  temple,  which  was  somewhat  darkened  by  the 
partly  closed  shutters.  Going  around  to  the  front  of 
the  idol,  I  saw  a  woman  and  child  burning  a  small 
taper  before  this  huge  image.  It  was  indeed  a 
strange  scene :  the  great  idol  lying  in  endless  rest ; 
the  dimly  burning  taper  ;  the  day,  slowly  dying  from 
the  heavens,  casting  its  last  fading  light  on  this  hid- 
eons  monster,  and  touching  it  with  a  softness  that 
would  feign  have  warmed  it  into  something  better. 

My  guide,  standing  near  one  of  the  great  pillars, 
knocked  softly  upon  it  with  his  cane,  and  from  the 
dome  flew  hundreds  of  bats  that  had  sought  shelter 
in  the  darkness.     What  a  picture  !     The  bats,  with 


1 86  SI  AM. 

rustling  wings,  making  the  unearthly  sound  that 
nothing  but  these  creatures  know  how  to  make  ;  the 
faint  light  of  the  incense  ;  and  the  glow  of  the  sink 
ing  sun  falling  upon  the  kneeling  mother  and  child, 
and  casting  their  shadows  upon  the  painted  idol  -  a 
scene  most  pathetic.  The  mother  took  the  small 
hands  of  the  child  —  a  sweet-looking,  innocent  litll'- 
creature  —  placed  their  palms  together,  and  brought 
them  to  the  floor ;  then  for  a  moment  rested  the 
child's  head  upon  them,  teaching  it  a  prayer  to  the 
idol. 

The  Siamese  seem  to  be  a  very  intelligent  people, 
but  their  form  of  worship  is  anything  but  in  keeping 
with  even  an  ordinary  degree  of  intellect.  One  can 
easily  understand  how  minds,  darkened  by  supersti- 
tion, can  "imagine  vain  things"  and  worship  spirits, 
or  how  the  splendor  and  majesty  of  the  rising  and 
setting  sun  can  attract  devotion  ;  but  to  see  rational 
beings  prostrate  themselves  before  piles  of  wood  or 
stone,  no  matter  how  thickly  gilded  or  richly  attired, 
expecting  by  heart-cries  and  protests  to  be  delivered 
from  disaster,  passes  all  comprehension.  These  peo- 
ple believe  in  the  transmigration  of  the  soul ;  having 
lived  once  on  earth,  they  expect  to  live  again  as  a 
chicken,  cow,  bird  or  insect,  in  a  higher  or  lower 
state  of  being,  according  to  the  merit  they  have  made 
during  their  life.  Their  whole  religion  is  a  system  of 
merit  making.  The  distress  of  an  animal  moves 
them  to  hasty  action  for  its  relief ;  not  that  they  are 
touched  by  its  suffering,  but  because  the  opportunity 
is  presented  for  making  merit. 


SIAM,  187 

I  was  once  crossing  the  river  in  a  small  boat  in 
which  some  chickens  were  being  taken  over.  The 
heat  was  great,  and  beat  down  upon  the  poor  things 
until  they  began  to  pant.  The  boatman  could  not 
leave  his  oars,  but  he  said  to  a  companion,  "Give 
the  chickens  some  water  and  make  some  merit  for 
me."  No  pity  for  the  poor,  thirsty  fowl — only  anx- 
iety to  benefit  himself.  It  is  because  of  their  belief 
in  transmigration  that  these  people  refrain  from  eat- 
ing flesh  in  any  form.  In  taking  the  life  of  a  chicken 
or  other  animal  they  would  stand  in  fear  of  having 
killed  their  grandmother  or  some  other  worthy  an- 
cestor. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    LORD   OF    THE   WHITE   ELEPHANT. 

I  HE  ruler  of  Siam,  Prow  Chula  Chum  Clow 
by  name,  is  a  most  intelligent  man  who 
speaks  three  different  languages  and  has 
quite  a  knowledge  of  the  outside  world.  The  present 
king  is  the  first  ruler  who  ever  left  his  domain. 
Some  time  ago  he  paid  a  visit  to  Singapore,  and  the 
citizens  of  that  town  erected  a  statue  of  an  elephant 
in  the  public  square  in  commemoration  of  his  visit. 
The  king  is  more  progressive  than  the  previous  rulers, 
but  he  is  slow  to  bring  changes  to  his  people  or  adopt 
new  methods.  With  few  exceptions  the  same  usages 
prevail  that  have  been  handed  down  through  the  cen- 
turies. Some  small  changes  have  been  made,  but 
nothing  that  indicates  a  spirit  of  real  progress.  It 
has  ever  been  an  unwritten  law  that  the  royal  family 
must  marry  royalty.  As  they  have  been  largely  shut, 
up  to  themselves,  and  have  had,  practically,  no  deal- 
ings with  the  outside  world,  the  lack  of  opportunity 
has  prevented  them  from  intermarrying  in  the  royalty 
of  surrounding  countries,  after  the  European  fashion. 
Because  of  this  the  king's  choice  in  marriage  is  lim- 
ited to  a  selection  from  his  own  family.  The  late 
king,  like  the  present  one,  had  many  wives  and  chil- 
dren ;  from  the  children  of  his  father  the  present  king 


SI  AM.  191 

chose  his  wife.  They  are  hah'  brother  and  sister,  both 
children  of  the  late  ruler  by  different  wives.  The 
recognized  royal  children  are  those  of  the  queen  only, 
who  occupies  the  palace  with  the  king.  These  chil- 
dren are  five  in  number,  and  the  oldest  has  been  pro- 
claimed heir-apparent.  Besides  these  the  king  is  the 
happy  father  of  forty  other  children.  In  his  harem  it 
is  said  there  are  fifteen  hundred  women  who  are  all 
of  more  or  less  noble  birth,  for  only  the  noble  may 
venture  to  send  their  daughters  to  the  king.  The 
highest  possible  honor  that  can  be  bestowed  upon  a 
man  is  the  addition  of  his  sweet  young  daughter  to 
the  hundreds  of  women  who  live  within  the  palace 
grounds. 

The  king  lives  in  great  state  in  a  very  large  palace. 
The  building  is  of  white  stone,  two  or  three  stories 
high,  and  of  modern  architecture.  The  great  steps 
are  guarded  by  two  immense  elephants,  built  of  brick 
and  mortar  and  covered  with  gold  leaf.  When  the 
king  leaves  the  palace  he  is  accompanied  by  all  the 
pomp  usual  among  more  enlightened  rulers.  His 
stables  are  the  finest  in  Asia.  He  scorns  the  little 
Indian  pony,  and  his  horses  are  brought  from  the 
country  that  produces  the  king  of  horse-flesh — Aus- 
tralia. His  charger  is  black  as  coal,  with  fiery  eyes, 
and  is  an  "up-to-date"  high-stepper.  Besides  this 
fine  array  of  some  hundreds  of  thoroughbred  horses, 
the  king  dotes  on  his  three  white  elephants.  These 
are  seldom  used ;  they  are  regarded  as  sacred.  The 
elephants  are  carefully  cared  for  by  attendants,  and 
(quarters  have  been  biiilt  for  their  special  comfort,  each 


192  SI  AM. 

having  a  large,  airy  room.  In  the  center  of  the  room 
a  heavy  pillar  is  decorated  with  a  canopy  of  showy 
drapery,  under  which  the  vicious  creature  paws,  aims 
ineflfective  blows  at  his  innocent  keeper,  and  other- 
wise displays  to  the  looker-on  his  appreciation  of  the 
care  bestowed  upon  him. 

The  day  was  appointed  on  which  I  was  to  feast  my 
eyes  upon  the  visage  of  a  real  live  king.  I  had  little 
fear,  for  I  had  passed  through  a  similar  experience,  and 
had  come  off  with  my  life.  It  is  the  custom  to  appear 
before  his  majesty  in  full  dress  ;  that  is,  in  some  kind 
of  light  dress,  with  gloves,  etc.  I  was  traveling  at 
the  time  with  no  other  baggage  than  a  valise,  in 
which  limited  space  I  could  not  stow  away  a  whole 
dry-goods  store  ;  so  in  matters  of  dress  I  had  really 
small  choice.  The  garment  settled  upon  was  dragged 
forth  into  the  sunlight  for  an  airing,  and  next  day  I 
was  on  my  way  to  the  palace.  A  long  row  in  a  small 
boat  on  a  sweltering  day,  with  my  clothes  clinging 
closer  than  glue,  and  my  front  hair  drooping — in 
fact,  almost  dripping — were  the  penalties  of  going  to 
see  the  king. 

I  reached  the  outer  walls  of  the  grounds,  where 
two  noblemen  met  me  and  escorted  me  to  the  corridor 
of  the  palace.  There  I  met  the  high  and  mighty  of 
the  land,  waiting  to  perform  the  arduous  task  of  pre- 
senting me  to  the  king.  A  number  of  foreign  repre- 
sentatives were  expecting  to  be  received,  and  these 
were  also  present  in  the  elegant  corridor,  where  we 
were  served  with  refreshments  while  waiting.  Pres- 
ently a   message  came  from  the  king,  through  th? 


SI  AM.  193 

prince,  his  eldest  brother,  that  his  majesty  was  pre- 
pared to  receive  me.  The  prince  was  to  escort  me  to 
the  audience-room  and  present  me.  He  ofifered  his 
arm  and  conducted  me  to  a  long  hall,  on  each  side  of 
which  stood  armed  soldiers  ;  this  led  to  the  private 
audience-room  of  the  king.  Great  bronzed  doors 
opened  as  we  approached,  and  when  I  entered  the 
king  walked  half  way  across  the  room  to  greet  me, 
which  was  really  done  in  a  most  democratic  way  ;  he 
then  motioned  me  to  a  seat  near  by. 

The  king  speaks  English,  but  never  to  a  foreigner 
in  the  palace.  I,  of  course,  spoke  my  own  language, 
which  he  understood  perfectly,  though  he  carried  his 
part  of  "the  conversation  in  Siamese,  and  his  older 
brother  interpreted.  He  was  thoroughly  informed  on 
the  latest  phases  of  the  woman  question,  and  seemed 
to  know  of  all  the  eflForts  that  were  being  put  forth  by 
them  for  their  own  elevation  and  the  betterment  of  the 
world.  When  I  spoke  to  him  of  the  education  of  his 
own  women,  many  of  whom  had  never  attended 
school,  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  time  had  not 
yet  come  for  general  education  among  the  Siamese. 
His  argument  was  clever,  considered  ex  parte.  He 
first  touched  upon  a  thought  that  has  awakened 
wide-spread  interest  in  connection  with  the  higher 
education  of  women  ;  namely,  will  it  unfit  them  for 
the  peculiar  conditions  that  surround  them  ?  In 
speaking  of  this  the  king  said  :  * '  With  education 
there  always  comes  culture  and  refinement.  The 
people  of  this  country  are  very  poor.  If  they  become 
cultured  and  refined,  they  will- naturally  want  things 


194  SIAM. 

about  them  more  beautiful  than  those  they  have  been 
accustomed  to,  and  this  education  will  bring  with  it 
a  spirit  of  discontent." 

There  may  be  something  in  the  king's  argument, 
but  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  he  is  fully  aware  of  one 
fact  :  If  the  women  of  Siam  ever  become  educated  he 
can  never  build  walls  high  enough  to  keep  fifteen 
hundred  women  in  his  harem. 

After  an  hour  of  pleasant  conversation,  during 
which  I  gathered  his  majesty's  ideas  on  many  local 
and  foreign  subjects,  I  left  the  palace  with  a  guide 
who  was  under  instructions  to  show  me  around  the 
building  and  grounds. 


JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE   GRAND    TEMPLE    OP    JAVA. 

|T  THE  present  rate  of  "  globe  trotting  "  the 
press  of  time  is  so  great  that  very  few  find 
leisure  to  depart  from  the  beaten  paths  of 
travel,  and  consequently  some  of  the  places  of  great- 
est interest  are  missed  ;  but  when  one  starts  with  six, 
seven  or  more  years  before  him,  many  byways  and 
side-tracks  lead  the  pilgrim  to  spots  almost  unknown. 
Among  these,  is*  the  island  of  Java,  and  it  is  well 
worth  the  traveler's  while  to  spend  an  extra  month, 
if  need  be,  to  reach  the  center  of  that  country  and 
see  what  should  be  classed  among  the  wonders  of 
the  world. 

Were  Java  under  the  rule  of  any  but  the  sleepy 
Hollanders — who  are  still  more  sleepy  for  their  so- 
journ there — the  center  of  the  island  would  long  ago 
have  been  made  more  accessible,  and  the  people 
brought  in  closer  contact  with  the  outside  world. 
But  when  Holland,  after  the  manner  of  other  coun- 
tries, took  unto  herself  this  land,  pensioned  the 
rulers,  set  aside  all  native  rights,  and   appropriated 


196  JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 

the  labor  of  the  natives  to  cultivate  and  make  rich 
the  soil,  she  lost  sight  of  all  things  save  the  enrich- 
ment of  her  treasury,  and  the  bestowal  of  ' '  fat 
ofl&ces  "  upon  a  few  favored  individuals. 

In  the  way  of  vegetation  Java  contains  all  that  we 
imagine  as  belonging  to  Eden — palms  of  all  kinds, 
breadfruit,  cocoanut,  and  scores  of  other  tropical 
trees,  as  well  as  spice-plants  and  fruits,  and  a  general 
growth  more  luxuriant  of  foliage  and  graceful  of 
form  than  that  found  anywhere  in  the  western  world. 
These  trees  form  the  home  of  birds  of  gorgeous  plum- 
age, and  fireflies  and  insects  that  look  like  flying 
gems  as  they  move  about  in  their  glory  of  color.  I 
saw  there  more  than  the  poet  has  dreamed  of,  or 
painter  ever  depicted,  for  nature  far  outrivals  the 
skill  of  man.  On  one  side  I  caught  glimpses  of 
pretty  little  valleys  clothed  in  eternal  summer ;  on 
the  other,  lofty  mountain  peaks  crowned  with  fleecy 
clouds. 

At  the  Batavia  postofiice  I  read  in  English,  "The 
grand  temple  in  the  interior  of  Java,  that  for  archi- 
tectural design,  decorations,  carvings  and  finish  is 
worthy  of  Greece  itself,  testifies  to  a  cultivation  of  the 
natives  that  has  long  since  died  out."  It  did  not 
take  me  long  to  make  up  my  mind  to  make  the  trip 
to  the  interior,  not  only  that  I  might  gaze  upon  this 
triumph  of  architectural  skill,  but  that  I  might  also 
see  the  ruins  to  be  passed  on  the  way. 

In  looking  upon  the  ruins  time  has  wrought,  it 
seems  wonderful  how  nature  reclaims  and  draws 
again  within  the  earth  all  that  has  been  taken  out 


JAVA  AND  BURMAH.  199 

of  it.  Seeds  are  dropped  by  birds,  or  blown  by  the 
wind  between  the  joints  of  stone  ;  moistened  by  the 
rains  and  fed  by  the  dust,  they  germinate,  spread 
their  roots,  force  even  the  mighty  stones  asunder  and 
throw  them  to  the  ground  whence  they  were  dug. 
Everywhere  in  Java  the  destroying  vegetation  is 
throwing  down,  feeding  upon  and  covering  up  ruins 
that,  for  want  of  a  little  care,  will  soon  be  lost  to 
sight. 

The  journey  to  the  temple  is  two  hundred  miles 
by  slow  rail,  with  all  the  annoyances  experienced  in 
that  hot  clime, — dust  flying,  perspiration  oozing  from 
every  pore  in  the  body,  and  clothes  a  burden  almost 
unendurable.  The  two  hundred  miles  covered,  the 
really  difficult  part  of  the  journey  began  by  stage. 
The  six  little  horses  were  changed  every  few  miles, 
and  even  then  I  felt  that  a  humane  society  should 
have  had  charge  of  the  whole  party  ;  but  we  rode, 
struggled  and  walked  until  we  reached  our  journey's 
end,  where  I  sat  down  to  refresh  myself  on  the  cocoa- 
nuts  brought  by  one  of  the  coolies.  If  the  distance 
had  been  twice  as  long,  and  the  difficulties  even  more 
numerous,  I  would  have  felt  that  the  stupendous 
sight  before  me  was  sufficient  requital  for  all  the  dis- 
comfort. The  legend  given  by  the  natives  describes 
the  temple  and  its  construction  better  than  I  could 
bring  it  before  the  reader. 

Two  thousand  years  ago,  the  natives  decided  to 
erect  a  great  temple  worthy  of  their  country  and  relig- 
ion. A  site  was  first  selected  in  the  interior  of  the 
island,  on  a  gently  sloping  hill,  where  a  structure  that 


200  J  A  VA  AND  BURMAH. 

would  abide  all  time  should  stand.  A  plan  was  then 
called  for,  and  the  scores  submitted  must  have  out- 
numbered the  glory-seeking  aspirants  to  honor  who 
would  have  figured  in  architectural  fame  at  the 
World's  Fair.  In  that  country  where  the  common 
people  have  no  political  rights,  but  where  the  high 
places  are  held  by  right  of  birth,  it  is  a  strange 
thing  that  the  plan  of  this  temple  should  have  been 
submitted  to  a  popular  vote,  and  thus  decided.  The 
sound  of  chisel  or  hammer  was  not  to  be  heard  on  the 
temple.  Every  stone  was  finished  at  the  quarry,  and 
the  whole  was  to  be  placed  without  mortar  or  cement. 
Masons,  builders,  sculptors,  and  workmen  of  all  kinds 
engaged  in  the  great  work,  and  for  many  years  thou- 
sands labored  from  sunrise  until  sunset.  One  massive 
stone  after  another  was  dug  from  the  quarry,  and 
under  the  skillful  hand  of  the  sculptor  was  converted 
into  a  thing  of  beauty,  and  sent  to  fill  its  place  in  the 
pile  that  was  to  form  the  temple.  The  time  came 
when  the  last  figure  stood  out  in  all  its  beauty  upon 
the  last  block  ;  the  cap-stone  had  been  polished  with 
care,  and  all  was  in  readiness  to  pile  the  stones  one 
upon  another,  a  task  which  was  to  be  completed  in 
three  days.  One  hundred  thousand  workmen  came 
from  all  parts  of  the  island,  ready  to  complete  the 
work  ;  a  national  holiday  was  proclaimed,  and  two 
million  pilgrims  came  to  see  the  structure  reared. 

I  stood  on  a  great  knoll,  and  as  I  viewed  the  land- 
scape on  all  sides,  the  scenes  of  that  distant  time 
came  clearly  before  me.  For  three  days  rose  this 
temple  of  Boer  Buddha,  without  the  sound  of  ham- 


Javanese  Child. 


Javanese  Fruit  Woman. 


JAVA  AND  BURMAH.  203 

mer — as  mute  as  are  the  workings  of  nature.  The 
majestic  pile  rose  in  all  its  perfection  of  form.  The 
temple  was  built  in  terraces  five  feet  high  and  four 
feet  in  width,  until  it  rose  to  the  height  of  three  hun- 
dred feet.  Illuminated  by  the  last  rays  of  a  gorgeous 
eastern  sunset,  the  cap-stone  was  placed.  A  signal 
was  given,  and  the  vast  multitude  bowed  in  silent 
adoration. 

The  temple  stands  to-day  almost  as  complete  as 
when  left  by  the  workmen,  and  will  probably  remain 
only  to  crumble  when  time  itself  shall  fade. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  GI.ANCE  AT  SINGAPORE. — THE  SULTAN  OF  JAHORE. 

|HE  most  interesting  islands  of  all  seas  are 
those  of  the  Strait  Settlements,  and  if  one 
could  be  singled-  out  as  more  interesting 
than  another,  because  of  its  people,  I  should  name  the 
small  island  of  Singapore.  It  is  only  fourteen  miles 
across,  and  sixty  miles  long  ;  yet  in  the  streets  of 
Singapore  thirty  different  languages  are  spoken.  In 
the  beautiful  harbor  float  the  flags  of  all  nations,  and 
it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  a  place  that  forms 
a  more  impressive  scene  than  that  witnessed  from 
the  bay. 

The  European  population  consists  chiefly  of  mer- 
chants, government  officials,  military  men  and  a  few 
missionaries.  The  island  is  almost  on  the  equator, 
and  because  of  its  situation  the  climate  is  very  trying, 
A  garment  the  weight  of  a  mosquito-net  becomes  a 
burden,  and  the  effort  in  using  a  fan  produces  the 
greatest  discomfort.  Servants  are  numerous  in  each 
household,  and  the  white  people  do  little  beyond 
' '  breathing  the  breath  of  life  ' '  ;  this  I  am  sure  they 
would  not  do  if  they  could  hire  a  servant  to  do  it  for 
them.  If  one  wants  to  grow  lazy  gracefully,  Singa- 
pore is  the  place  to  go.     The  natives  are  the  laziest 

people  in  the  world.     The  Indian  bullocks,  used  as 

204 


JAVA  AND  BURMAH.  205 

beasts  of  burden,  have  a  dreamy,  far-away  look  in 
their  eyes,  and  step  with  lazy  tread.  The  native,  too 
lazy  to  get  up  into  the  cart,  sits  on  the  pole  between 
the  animals,  his  long,  thin,  black  legs  dangling  in  a 
most  lazy  manner.  Instead  of  wasting  strength  in 
urging  his  lazy  beast  with  a  whip,  he  twists  his  tail 
to  remind  him  that  he  must  move  on.  The  very 
breeze  fans  your  cheek  with  a  lazy  breath,  and  you 
settle  down,  glad  to  do  nothing — in  short,  to  be  lazy. 

Standing  one  morning  on  the  steps  of  the  postoffice 
I  spent  an  hour  in  watching  the  passing  multitude. 
They  came  trooping  by,  of  every  shade  of  skin,  speak- 
ing many  strange  tongues,  and  dressed  in  every  color 
and  variety  of  costume.  The  ever-present  John  Chi- 
naman, from  the  mandarin  of  great  wealth,  with  his 
fine  horses,  magnificent  modern  home  and  costl}'  ap- 
parel, to  the  poor,  miserable  coolie  who  gains  a  few 
pennies  a  day  by  making  himself  a  beast  of  burden, 
racing  through  heat  of  noonday  sun,  urged  on  by 
some  heartless  driver — both  classes  of  the  Celestial 
Empire  form  a  large  portion  of  the  population  of  the 
city.  Japan,  Siam,  Burmah,  India,  and,  in  fact,  most 
of  the  countries  of  vast  Asia  are  represented  here  in 
this  cosmopolitan  corner  of  the  earth. 

A.n  individual  standing  near  me  attracted  my  spe- 
cial attention.  His  make-up  and  personality  were 
very  striking.  He  was  tall,  fully  six  feet,  and  thin — 
well,  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  would  need  to  stand 
twice  in  the  sunlight  to  cast  a  shadow  !  His  eyes 
were  sunken  ;  his  nose  had  a  decided  crook.  On  his 
head  was  a  wool  cap,  though  the  thermometer  stood 


206  JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 

one  hundred  and  fifteen  in  the  shade.  His  feet  were 
pushed  into  a  pair  of  shoes,  the  toes  of  which  turned 
over  toward  the  instep  and  ended  in  a  sharp  point.  To 
his  ankles  fell  a  loose  white  garment,  over  which  he 
wore  a  green  silk  robe.  His  strange  looks  led  me  to 
inquire  from  what  part  of  the  earth  he  had  escaped. 
No  one  seemed  to  know. 

While  in  Singapore,  an  invitation  came  to  visit 
Jahore,  a  southern  extremity  of  Hindustan,  separated 
from  Singapore  only  by  a  narrow  passage  of  water. 
The  road  which  led  to  the  water's  edge  was  perfect. 
It  was  cut  through  a  dense  jungle,  and  tracts  on  each 
side  had  been  cleared  and  planted  with  coffee  and 
cocoanut  groves;  but  much  still  remained  a  wild 
growth,  where  vines  and  runners  had  overgrown  the 
trees  and  become  tangled  in  endless  confusion,  pre- 
senting a  scene  of  wondrous  beauty.  Three  hours 
ride  over  this  road  brought  us  to  a  small  boat  in  wait- 
ing, and  a  few  moments  later  I  was  in  the  sultan's 
carriage,  on  my  way  to  see  something  of  royalty  in 
the  far  East. 

The  sultan's  domain  is  small,  and  the  population 
mixed — a  few  whites,  some  Chinese,  and  a  few  thou- 
sand Malays.  The  sultan  lives  in  great  state,  and  is 
very  much  given  to  display.  He  is  low  of  stature, 
heavy-set,  with  dark  eyes,  and  a  great  growth  of 
white  hair.  Being  a  Mohammedan,  he  never  re- 
moves his  hat,  which,  when  I  saw  him,  was  of  foreign 
make. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  things  concerning  royal 
personages  is  that  after  all  they  are  just  like  other 


JAVA  AND  BURMAH.  207 

people — with  the  same  emotions  and  sentiments,  and 
given  to  romance  in  common  with  the  rest  of  the  hu- 
man family.  On  the  occasion  of  the  sultan's  last  visit 
to  England  he  traveled  as  a  private  person,  under  the 
name  of  Albert  Barker.  He  met  a  young  lady  while 
abroad,  for  whom  he  formed  a  strong  attachment,  or 
at  least  he  thought  he  did.  He  proposed  that  she 
return  with  him,  and  become  the  fair  sultana  of  his 
realm.  She  favored  the  idea,  and  exercised  a  wo- 
man's privilege  by  saying  "Yes."  Time  wore  on, 
and  the  sultan  exercised  a  man's  privilege  by  chang- 
ing his  mind,  and  left  the  fair  maiden  with  more  dam- 
aged affections  than  she  could  manage  :  whereupon 
she  sued  His  Serene  Highness  for  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  case  was  tried  in  the  English  courts,  and 
it  was  decided  that  as  the  sultan  was  a  reigning  mon- 
arch he  was  beyond  jurisdiction.  There  are  many 
advantages  in  being  a  "reigning  monarch." 

The  palace  in  which  the  sultan  entertains  his  for- 
eign guests  is  furnished  in  European  style,  with  mod- 
ern accessories.  The  dining-room  is  especially  well 
arranged,  and  most  gorgeous  in  furnishings.  The 
walls  are  finished  in  panels,  the  alternate  ones  of  look- 
ing-glass. The  floor  is  of  pure  white  marble,  mo- 
saiced  in  richly  colored  stones,  and  here  and  there 
Turkish  rugs  give  a  showy  oriental  touch  to  the  room. 
But  the  most  lavish  display  is  to  be  seen  at  the  table. 
While  in  England  the  sultan  bought  a  dinner  service 
of  solid  gold,  and  his  foreign  guests  look  upon  some- 
thing rarely  seen  either  in  the  eastern  or  western 
world. 


2o8  JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 

Through  some  mistake  respecting  the  hour  of  re- 
turn, the  carriage  failed  to  meet  me,  and  my  only- 
means  of  reaching  Singapore  was  by  jinrickisha, 
drawn  by  Chinese  coolies.  Seated  in  this  miniature 
carriage,  a  coolie  jumped  between  the  shafts  and 
started  down  the  road  with  alarming  speed.  The  sun 
was  on  the  decline,  the  heavy  shadows  fell  across  the 
road,  affording  cooling  shade,  and  the  coolies  trotted 
steadily  on,  bringing  us  to  our  destination  in  less  time 
than  that  consumed  in  the  morning's  drive. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM    SINGAPORE   TO   MANDALAY. 

|T  WOULD  be  supposed  that  any  sort  of 
accommodation  could  be  secured  from  Sin- 
gapore, where  can  be  seen  almost  every 
kind  of  craft  that  is  propelled  by  steam,  sailed  by  can- 
vas, or  sent  gliding  down  the  bay  by  the  strong  hand 
of  the  native ;  but  in  traveling  along  all  the  eastern 
coasts  it  is  almost  impossible  to  find  comfortable  quar- 
ters on  the  steamers.  It  was  my  unhappy  fate  to 
take  passage  on  a  Dutch  steamer.  As  usual  the  dis- 
comfort of  seasickness  was  upon  me,  and  I  was  unable 
to  go  on  deck  for  a  few  days.  When  I  encountered 
the  captain  he  informed  me  that  the  ship  had  been 
ordered  to  Sumatra  to  convey  the  fever- stricken 
troops  to  the  mainland.  For  many  years  the  Dutch 
and  the  people  of  one  end  of  this  island  have  been  at 
war  over  a  small  strip  of  land..  I  suppose  thousands 
of  Holland's  sons  have  died  of  fever,  or  perished  in 
arms,  during  the  time  since  the  first  war,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  natives  whose  lives  have  been  sacrificed  in 
defense  of  their  country.  The  prospect  of  sailing  for 
a  few  days  with  a  fever-stricken  crew  was  anything 
but  pleasant,  but  as  the  open  sea  afforded  no  desira- 
ble means  of  escape  I  settled  down  and  decided,  as 

209 


2IO  JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 

one  must  so  often  do  in  tramping  the  earth,  to  make 
the  best  of  it. 

The  Sumatran  port  was  reached  about  midnight, 
and  the  ship  dropped  anchor  only  long  enough  to 
take  on  the  troops.  No  one  was  allowed  to  go 
ashore.  As  we  anchored  no  sight  or  sound  of  troops 
was  seen  or  heard  ;  but  presently,  borne  on  the  wings 
of  the  breeze,  came  notes  of  martial  music.  As  it 
approached  nearer  and  nearer,  we  heard  the  steady 
tramp  of  feet,  and  in  a  short  time  the  soldiers  were  all 
aboard.  Those  who  were  able  to  walk,  marched  on 
board  ;  others,  in  the  more  advanced  stages  of  the 
disease,  were  carried  ;  and  the  steamer  put  to  sea 
again,  all  drawing  a  breath  of  relief  and  none  fearing 
the  fever,  which  was  not  contagious. 

We  sailed  next  day  over  smooth  waters,  amid  spice 
islands,  the  air  heavy  with  pungent  odors  and  the 
perfume  of  flowers,  until  the  sun  of  that  day  faded 
behind  the  beauty  of  an  island,  and  evening  was 
upon  us.  The  soft  twilight  shades  soon  lengthened 
into  darkness  ;  then  the  pale  moon  rose  and  threw  a 
weird  light  over  the  scene ;  one  great  star  after  an- 
other spangled  the  heavens,  and  night  swept  on. 
The  steamer's  lights  were  turned  low,  and  "  tired 
nature's  sweet  restorer  "  had  come  to  some  on  board. 
But  on  the  lower  deck  weary  eyes  refused  to  close,  and 
were  filled  with  tears  of  sorrow  ;  men  moved  about 
with  noiseless  tread  and  almost  hushed  breath,  giving 
orders  in  an  undertone.  An  officer  came  to  where  I 
was  seated  on  the  deck — the  heat  of  the  cabin  had 
become   unendurable — and   said,  ' '  Some  of  the  sol- 


Suriutia  Wmnai: 


J  A  VA  AND  B  URMAH.  2  1 3 

diers  have  died,  and  must  be  buried  at  sea.  We  shall 
slack  up  at  midnight  and  put  them  overboard  ;  don't 
be  disturbed," 

What  a  night  that  was  I  one  never  to  be  forgotten. 
I  sat  alone,  dreading  the  midnight  hour.  Soon  the 
steamer  moved  slower  and  slower.  I  put  my  hands 
to  my  ears  and  closed  my  eyes,  thinking  to  shut  out 
every  sight  and  sound  ;  but  soon  I  heard  a  great 
splash,  then  another  and  another,  until  almost  a  score 
had  been  consigned  to  a  watery  grave.  The  last 
brave  soldier  who  died  had  asked  that  the  flag  of  his 
country  might  form  his  winding-sheet.  His  com- 
rades, many  of  whom  had  fought  and  suffered  with 
him,  carried  out  his  dying  request.  The  flag  of 
Holland  was  wound  about  him,  and  tenderly  they 
lifted  him  to  the  plank  ;  I  heard  another  splash  and 
the  steamer  moved  on.  There  can  be  nothing  more 
distressing  than  a  burial  at  sea.  On  the  Dutch  ship 
no  service  was  read  or  prayer  offered  ;  it  was  simply 
a  matter  of  casting  overboard. 

The  next  morning  we  gathered  at  the  table,  but  no 
word  of  the  sad  scene  was  spoken.  It  was  a  thing  of 
the  past,  and  the  pressing  duties  of  the  hour  had 
driven  it  out  of  our  thoughts.  In  this  changeful 
world  of  ours,  joy  and  sorrow  are  ever  crowding  upon 
each  other;  the  tear  is  soon  dried  and  gives  way  to  a 
smile,  or  a  smile  quickly  passes  to  give  place  to  a 
tear — and  the  old  world  rolls  on  just  the  same. 

I  became  engaged  in  conversation  with  the  captain, 
who  was  a  true  son  of  Holland,  but  spoke  English 
well.     He  at  once  took  me  for  one  who  had  wandered 


214  JAVA  AND  BURN  AH. 

from  the  land  of  the  stars  and  stripes.  Just  how  he 
was  able  to  locate  me  I  am  unable  to  say — probably 
by  my  good  looks  !  I  found  him  the  most  profane 
man  I  had  ever  met  in  my  life  ;  in  fact,  he  seemed  to 
have  determined  to  punctuate  every  sentence  he  ut- 
tered with  profanity.  I  was  the  only  lady  passenger, 
but  he  swore  in  conversing  with  me  just  as  he  did  in 
talking  to  the  men.  Finally  I  said,  "  Captain,  why 
do  you  swear  so?"  The  man  opened  his  eyes  in 
utter  astonishment,  and  said,  "Why,  did  I  swear? 
If  I  did,  I  assure  you  I  did  not  know  it."  He  was 
most  profuse  in  his  apologies,  and  begged  I  would 
not  consider  it  a  lack  of  respect  for  a  lady. 

With  the  echo  of  oaths  reaching  my  ears  from  time 
to  time,  we  sailed  on  until  we  reached  the  shores  of 
Burmah,  that  country  whose  native  government  was 
recently  overthrown  by  force  of  arms,  and  which  thus 
became  part  of  the  vast  posessions  of  British  India. 

The  Burmese  government  was  purely  despotic — the 
king  sentenced  to  imprisonment,  torture  or  death, 
according  to  his  pleasure,  without  trial,  or  the  least 
pretence  to  justice.  Everything  connected  with  the 
king  was  said  to  be  "  golden."  When  he  went  into 
the  streets  a  fence  six  feet  high  was  erected  on  each 
side,  that  none  of  the  common  people  might  look 
upon  his  "  golden  presence."  King  Thebaw's  grand- 
father had  a  spear  which  he  often  threw  at  those  who 
offended  him,  but  his  son  is  said  never  to  have  killed 
anyone,  though  he  has  thrown  the  spear  several 
times.  Under  the  Burmese  government  there  were 
the  most  minute  regulations  concerning  the  construe- 


A  Burmese  Girl. 


JAVA  AND  RURMAH.  217 

tion  of  houses,  wearing  of  ornaments,  and  manner  of 
dress.  For  a  violation  of  these  customs  severe  pun- 
ishment was  meted  out  to  the  offender.  There  were 
also  special  regulations  concerning  the  manufacture  of 
umbrellas ;  they  must  be  of  a  certain  size,  color  and 
texture.  The  king  used  white  ;  other  dignitaries 
carried  umbrellas  of  different  colors,  according  to  the 
order  of  the  king. 

Mandalay,  the  capital,  is  situated  in  upper  Burmah, 
and  is  reached  from  Rangoon  by  rail.  This  old  his- 
toric town  has  often  been  the  theater  of  scenes  that 
have  greatly  affected  the  nation,  both  for  good  and 
evil.  Here  the  British  made  their  way  to  the  palace, 
and,  after  having  dethroned  the  king,  proclaimed 
Burmah  a  British  possession.  But  perhaps  the  scenes 
witnessed  here,  that  have  left  the  deepest  impress 
upon  the  people,  were  those  in  the  days  when  the 
brave  Judson  made  his  way  to  the  king  and  received 
permission  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  land. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PAGODA  AT  RANGOON.  —  SACRED  MOUNTAIN 
CAVES. 


ANDAIvAY  is  a  city  of  great  beauty,  and 
contains  a  palace  the  like  of  which  has 
never  been  erected  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world.  This  structure  occupies  a  place  in  the  center 
of  the  city.  The  outermost  inclosure  consists  of  a 
stockade  of  teakwood  posts  twenty  feet  high.  Within 
are  three  successive  inclosures  of  brick  walls,  beyond 
which  stands  the  palace,  made  of  carved  teakwood. 
This  wood  is  most  remarkable ;  it  is  said  to  almost 
rival  stone  in  withstanding  the  test  of  time.  As  the 
Burmese  excel  in  carving,  the  beauty  of  the  palace  is 
beyond  description.  Since  the  British  have  taken 
possession  a  part  of  the  palace  has  been  converted 
into  offices,  other  parts  into  a  church,  and  the  chief 
portion  has  been  reserved  as  the  governor's  residence. 
The  city  is  reached  both  by  rail  and  water,  so  I 
decided  to  return  by  water.  The  sun  was  intense, 
and  the  reflected  heat  from  the  water  much  greater 
than  the  heat  on  land  ;  but  the  beauty  of  the  land- 
scape repaid  us  for  the  endurance  of  the  tropical  sun. 
On  each  side,  the  same  foliage  that  marks  the  tropics 
the  world  over  lent  its  charm  to  the  scene.  Between 
the  long,  swaying  branches  of  the  cocoanut  or  palm  I 
caught  glimpses  of  the  huts  of  the  natives  and  their 


JAVA  AND  BURMAH.  2ig 

places  of  worship  ;  for  go  where  you  will  in  Asia  the 
ever-present  temple,  in  all  its  varied  forms,  stands 
out  as  the  feature  of  the  landscape.  Thi^  is  also  true 
of  Burmali,  especially  as  one  nears  Rangoon  and  sees 
the  "Great  Pagoda  of  Burmah  "  lift  its  head  some 
three  hundred  feet  above  its  surroundings. 

It  would  be  difficult  indeed  to  describe  this  wonder, 
which  has  been  standing  for  more  than  two  thousand 
years.  The  pagoda  is  built  on  a  rise  of  land  cover- 
ing some  acres  ;  it  is  solid,  cone-shaped — diminishing 
in  rounded  outlines — and  surmounted  by  an  umbrella 
spire,  covered  with  gold  leaf  to  the  very  point. 
Flight  after  flight  of  stairs  lead  to  the  elevation 
where  the  place  of  worship  is  built.  All  about  the 
grounds  are  small  archways,  temples,  and  all  manner 
of  fantastic-shaped  shelters  for  the  hundreds  of  idols 
set  up  around  the  pagoda.  These  are  of  alabaster, 
wood  and  brass,  and  have  been  set  up  by  devout 
worshipers  as  works  of  merit.  They  are  in  every 
possible  attitude — reclining,  sitting  cross-legged  and 
standing — all  representing  the  founder  of  their  faith, 
Gautama,  commonly  called  Buddha,  The  fingers 
and  toes  are  all  the  same  length — a  special  mark  of 
beauty.  The  lobe  of  the  ear  extends  until  it  reaches 
the  shoulders,  and  the  face  is  gross  in  the  extreme. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  eastern  life  is  seen  in  every 
city  and  hamlet  throughout  the  many  countries  that 
go  to  make  up  the  vast  continent  of  Asia.  The  rich 
of  these  lands  spend  great  sums  of  money  erecting 
places  of  shelter  for  their  ugly  gods,  and  leave  their 
own  fellow-creatures   to  the   most   abject  poverty,  a 


220  JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 

prey  to  the  greatest  hardships  and  suffering.  This 
was  most  noticeable  in  visiting  the  pagoda.  At 
the  foot  of  the  steps,  and  along  the  sides  up  to  the 
landing  sat  scores  of  those  unfortunate  creatures  so 
numerous  in  the  Kast — lepers.  There  they  were,  old 
and  young,  disfigured  and  defaced,  bearing  marks  of 
the  awful  disease  in  all  parts  of  their  bodies.  As 
the  richly  dressed  worshiper  lifted  his  silken  robes  to 
prevent  contact  with  the  stone  steps,  he  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  misery  of  the  beggars,  but  as  their  cries  of, 
"  Oh,  rich  man,  give  us  rice  for  to-day  ?  "  rose  higher 
and  higher,  the  "  rich  man  "  only  hastened  on  to 
satisfy  his  conscience  by  sacrificing  flowers  or  burning 
incense  before  his  favorite  god,  when  the  money  thus 
spent  would  have  provided  for  one  sufferer  for  a 
day,  perhaps  for  several  days. 

I  turned  from  this  scene  of  suffering  to  hasten  to 
the  wharf  where  the  outgoing  steamer  on  which  I  was 
to  be  a  passenger  was  anchored.  My  destination  wa  ■• 
Maulmem,  a  seaport  city  only  a  few  hours  ride  from 
Rangoon.  This  is  an  old,  historical  city,  full  of  in- 
terest. But  as  the  Irishman  said  of  Naples,  "The 
greatest  wonders  of  Naples  are  outside  of  it,"  so  the 
most  interesting  features  of  this  place  are  outside  of 
it."  Toward  the  objects  of  interest  we  turned  our 
faces  one  day,  and  truly  went  up  through  "  trials  and 
tribulations."  In  traveling  in  these  countries  the 
great  discomfort  is  the  necessity  of  taking  provisions, 
servants,  carriages,  boats,  and  no  end  of  "extras" 
that  must  make  up  part  of  the  luggage.  All  these 
difficulties  were  finally  overcome,  and   we   took   an 


JAVA  AND  BURMAH.  22 1 

early  start  and  drove  down  to  the  water's  edge,  where 
we  had  to  be  ferried  across  in  a  native  canoe.  This 
was  not  a  matter  of  simply  stepping  from  the  carriage 
to  the  boat ;  someone  had  to  manage  the  taking  over 
of  the  provisions  ;  but  after  many  soul-harrowing  ex- 
periences we  finally  reached  the  other  side,  where  a 
two-wheeled  cart,  drawn  by  Indian  bullocks,  was  in 
waiting  to  convey  us  to  our  journey's  end.  Six  of  us 
got  up  into  the  cart,  sat  tailor-fashion  on  the  straw  in 
the  bottom,  and  off  we  started.  We  had  scarcely 
reached  the  edge  of  the  village  before  we  found  that 
the  pitiless  tropical  sun  was  no  respecter  of  persons, 
but  beat  down  on  us  in  dreadful  fury.  We  decided 
to  make  an  awning  of  the  linen  laprobe,  so  a  halt  was 
called,  and  branches  of  distant  trees  were  brought 
over  and  made  into  poles  to  uphold  the  "  awning" 
at  the  four  corners  of  the  cart.  This  served  every 
purpose,  and  we  were  protected  from  the  heat  of  the 
sun,  which  had  now  become  dangerous. 

Driving  over  the  plains  of  India  in  a  two-wheeled 
bullock-cart  is  anything  but  pleasant ;  but  as  ' '  every- 
thing comes  to  an  end,"  so  did  our  journey,  and  we 
camped  on  the  shady  side  of  a  great  lone  mountain  in 
the  center  of  a  wide  plain.  On  this  mountain  were 
the  famous  caves  we  intended  to  visit.  They  were 
discovered  some  centuries  ago,  and  a  pious-minded 
Burmese  conceived  the  idea  of  laying  up  an  unusual 
amount  of  "  merit  "  by  turning  the  caves  into  a  great 
temple.  The  dome  was  a  natural  one,  but  workmen 
were  sent  for  and  directed  to  "improve"  the  beauty 
of  nature  by  carving  in  the  solid  rock  hundreds  of 


222  JAVA  AND  BURMAH. 

small  images  of  Buddha.  This  done,  other  idols  were 
built.  We  saw  one  great  one  stretched  full  length, 
lying  on  its  back.  It  was  built  of  bricks  covered  with 
mortar  and  finished  with  gold  leaf,  and  it  was  minus 
an  arm  and  a  foot;  In  other  chambers  were  larger 
and  smaller  idols,  some  of  metals,  others  of  wood. 

We  had  brought  with  us  torches  of  white  and  blue 
lights  to  aid  in  our  inspection  of  the  caves.  These 
ignited  we  started  on  a  tour  of  investigation,  the  party- 
dividing  as  inclination  led.  Going  into  one  chamber 
I  was  amazed  to  find  one  of  our  company  with  her 
dust-robe  on  the  ground,  looking  around  for  a  god 
that  pleased  her  most.  Soon  one  of  the  drivers 
emerged  from  the  darkest  corner  loaded  with  a  great 
mass  of  stone  supposed  to  represent  the  physical 
beauty  of  the  founder  of  his  faith.  This  was  care- 
fully rolled  up  in  the  dust-robe  and  sent  to  the  cart  as 
a  souvenir  of  the  trip.  Similar  scenes  confronted  us 
as  we  went  from  room  to  room,  and  when  we  prepared 
for  the  return  trip  it  was  a  serious  question  of  who 
should  go  in  the  carts,  the  gods  or  the  party. 
Finally,  it  was  decided  that  everyone  who  had  taken 
an  idol  must  sit  on  it,  and  thus  economize  space.  Be 
it  forever  recorded  that  I  did  not  ride  home  sittins;  on 
a  god. 


INDIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TO  THE   BOTTOM   OF   THE   SEA. 

HUNDRED  and  fifty  thousand  miles  of 
travel  by  land  and  sea  aflfords  great  scope 
for  a  diversity  of  experiences.  If  one  were 
to  ask  me  where  I  had  had  the  greater  variety — on 
land  or  sea — I  would  be  unable  to  say,  for  both  have 
brought  such  varied  experiences  that  at  times  the 
tears  would  unbidden  start,  and  again  I  would  be 
almost  convulsed  with  laughter.  Occasionally,  terror, 
also,  has  had  almost  complete  possession  of  me. 

I  believe  the  most  remarkable  experience  in  all 
my  journeys  occurred  at  sea.  I  had  been  traveling 
through  the  Australasian  colonies,  and  was  on  my 
way  to  India.  There  is  little  traffic  up  that  coast, 
and  the  steamers  are  anything  but  first-class — simply 
cargo-boats,  with  passenger  cabins.  We  started  from 
Freemantle,  on  the  west  coast.  The  passengers  were 
few  in  number ;  six  traveling  men,  one  minister,  a 
French  catholic  priest  and  myself  made  up  the  list. 
The  whole  coast  is  a  wilderness  of  sand-hills.     As  far 

as  the  eye  can  reach  no  sign  of  vegetation  is  to  be 

223 


224  INDIA. 

seen  save  a  growth  of  wild  flowers  ;  these  belong  to 
the  everlasting  family,  are  of  every  hue  and  shade, 
and,  strangely  enough,  take  root  in  the  burning  sand, 
among  the  rocks,  and  on  the  barren  hillsides.  At 
this  time  not  a  drop  of  rain  had  fallen  in  two  years. 
The  sheep  and  cattle  lay  dead  on  the  plains  by  thou- 
sands, and  the  few  remaining  inhabitants  were  sick 
at  heart  and  discouraged. 

On  this  coast  are  some  of  the  greatest  pearl  fish- 
eries in  the  world.  Just  out  at  sea,  anchored  in  the 
shallow  waters,  was  a  fleet  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  small  boats,  manned  by  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred 
men  of  many  nationalities ;  some  were  from  the  Strait 
Settlements,  and  others  from  Japan  and  the  North. 
Our  steamer  remained  here  for  two  days.  It  is  the 
custom  when  a  steamer  calls  at  this  port  for  the  offi- 
cers of  the  pearling  fleet  to  come  on  board  and  dine 
with  the  captain.  I  chanced  to  sit  near  one  of  the 
officers.  He  described  the  manner  of  going  down  to 
the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  concluded  by  asking, 
"Why  don't  you  go  down?"  He  uttered  this  in  a 
tone  that  indicated  a  challenge,  and  at  the  same  time 
seemed  to  say,  "  You  dare  not  go." 

When  I  remembered  how  tall  I  was,  the  thought 
came  to  me,  "  Surely,  they  will  never  have  clothes 
large  enough  for  me  ;  "  so  I  replied,  "  Yes,  I  will  go, 
if  you  have  a  suit  that  will  fit  me."  The  captain 
became  so  excited  that  he  at  once  left  the  dinner- 
table,  took  a  skiff",  rode  over  to  a  pearling- boat,  and 
in  a  few  moments  returned  to  say  that  everything  was 
in  readiness.     To  retreat  would  be  unworthy  of  my 


INDIA.  225 

country,  so  with  trembling  limbs  and  almost  bated 
breath,  I  started,  in  company  with  the  stewardess 
and  captain,  for  the  pearling-boat.  Here  the  stew- 
ardess helped  me  prepare  for  the  dive.  Two  suits  of 
heavy  knit  wear  were  soon  donned  ;  then  came  the 
outside  garment  that  covered  the  whole  body,  all  but 
the  hands  and  head  ;  a  metal  hoop  was  placed  around 
my  neck  ;  on  this  were  a  number  of  screws  over 
which  the  neck  of  the  dress  was  pulled  ;  then  came  a 
man  with  a  wrench  and  made  fast  each  screw.  The 
shoes  were  next  brought  out ;  they  weighed  thirty- 
two  pounds.  When  they  told  me  that,  I  knew  I 
would  not  stretch  them  out  of  shape.  Next  came 
the  arrangement  for  the  head.  This  was  a  sort  of 
helmet,  in  which  were  three  glass  globes,  one  in  front 
and  one  on  each  side,  so  that  the  wearer  could  view 
his  surroundings  in  all  directions.  It  was  adjusted 
as  a  cone  is  screwed  on  a  lamp,  and  produced  a  most 
disagreeable  sensation.  To  the  helmet  was  attached 
one  end  of  a  rubber  hose,  the  other  end  leading  to 
the  air-pump,  and  arrangements  were  completed  when 
I  put  on  the  weights  (forty  pounds  of  lead)  about  my 
neck  and  shoulders. 

Thus  attired,  it  was  impossible  to  move,  but  a 
number  of  gentlemen  from  our  steamer,  with  the  gal- 
lantry that  characterizes  their  sex  throughout  the 
world,  offered  to  put  me  overboard.  It  took  about 
ten  men  to  carry  me  to  the  side  of  the  ship,  and  I 
was  thrown  overboard — yes,  thrown  overboard  !  I 
landed  on  my  back,  and  in  a  few  moments,  through 
the  glass  of  the  helmet,  I  saw  those  ponderous  shoes 


2  26  INDIA. 

begin  to  come  up,  and  I  knew  I  was  going  down  head 
first.  I  pulled  the  signal,  and  was  soon  taken  on 
deck,  where  the  surplus  air  was  let  out.  I  was  then 
lowered  to  the  bed  of  the  ocean. 

The  sensation  is  very  much  the  same  as  that  expe- 
rienced in  the  descent  in  an  elevator.  It  was  just 
after  a  wild  storm,  and  the  disturbed  condition  of  the 
water  made  the  occasion  not  very  favorable  for  sight- 
seeing. I  found  the  bottom  hard  and  sandy.  The 
water  being  so  much  heavier  than  the  suit,  I  was  able 
to  walk  about  with  ease.  I  did  not  venture  beyond 
the  ends  of  the  boat,  though  I  could  see  some  distance 
farther.  All  around  me  were  shells  of  many  colors, 
seaweed  and  sponge.  The  seaweed  was  filled  with 
pretty  red  seeds.  After  a  few  moments  below  I 
pulled  the  signal-rope  and  was  taken  up  to  the  deck 
of  the  steamer,  none  the  worse  for  my  trip  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sea. 

In  a  few  days  we  reached  Singapore,  and  after  a 
short  delay  boarded  the  steamer  bound  for  India.  A 
flood  of  thought  came  upon  me  as  I  turned  my  face 
towards  this  wonderful  land.  All  the  ideas  of  my 
childhood  concerning  it  were  brought  to  mind ;  I  re- 
called pictures  I  had  seen  of  cruel  mothers  throwing 
their  children  to  the  crocodiles,  and  poor,  helpless 
widows  cast  upon  the  funeral  pile  to  be  burned  alive. 
I  wondered  if  I  should  see  such  awful  things,  but 
when  I  reached  there,  I  soon  learned  that  all  the 
horrors  ever  conceived  by  human  mind  were  as  noth- 
ing compared  with  what  I  really  witnessed. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SIGHTS   IN   CALCUTTA   AND    BENARES. 


^^^UR  point  of  landing  was  Calcutta,  anything 

■j  M  but  a  native  city.  The  whites  are  found 
here  in  such  numbers  that  the  whole  city 
has  a  western  appearance.  It  is  full  of  interest,  how- 
ever. I  visited  Thackeray's  birthplace ;  the  room 
where  Macaulay  wrote  his  wonderful  essays ;  the 
church  where  Carey  first  preached,  and  the  baptis- 
tery where  Judson  was  baptized.  I  then  went  out 
to  see  the  native  town. 

It  was  at  a  very  good  time  to  visit  the  outlying 
city,  for  the  "  holy  fathers"  were  just  making  a  pil- 
grimage to  the  Hooglj^  one  of  the  sacred  rivers  of 
India.  These  men  belong  to  the  Brahmin  faith,  and 
are  supposed  to  be  absolutely  holy  ;  their  whole  time 
is  given  up  to  religious  rites — reading  holy  books 
and  saying  long  prayers  hour  after  hour.  We 
walked  some  distance  out  from  the  city  to  their 
camp,  where  about  twenty  were  engaged  in  devo- 
tions. They  wore  only  an  apology  for  clothes  ;  they 
were  supposed  to  be  attired  in  sackcloth  and  ashes — 
chiefly  ashes.  Their  hair,  which  had  turned  a  yel- 
lowish color  from  long  contact  with  ashes,  either 
hung  down  their  backs  in  uncombed  strings,  or  was 
twisted  around  their  heads,  Chinese  style. 

In  another  camp  we  saw  a  large  company  who  had 

come  miles,  crawling  snake  fashion ;  they  had  trav- 

227 


228  INDIA. 

eled  over  rocks,  stumps  and  stones  till  their  flesh  was 
bleeding  and  torn,  and  the  dust  had  settled  in  their 
hair  and  eyes  till  they  bore  little  resemblance  to 
human  beings. 

As  I  went  through  the  city  I  saw,  here  and  there, 
some  who  were  enjoying  their  "merit-making"  to 
themselves.  One  was  dragging  after  him  three  hun- 
dred pounds  of  chains  fastened  to  his  wrists  and 
ankles.  The  weight  had  worn  the  flesh  away  and 
the  bare  bones  were  exposed.  Another  was  lying  on 
planks  driven  full  of  spikes.  This  had  been  his  rest- 
ing-place till  his  whole  body  was  brui.sed  and  bleed- 
ing. But  I  think  the  worst  thing  I  saw  was  a  man 
with  his  hand  over  his  head ;  he  had  held  it  so  long 
in  that  position  that  it  was  impossible  to  move  it.  I 
could  hardly  believe  this,  but  my  interpreter,  who 
was  a  prince,  said,  "  I  have  told  him  you  wish  to  take 
hold  of  his  arm  to  try  to  move  it. "  I  took  hold  of 
it,  and  might  as  well  have  tried  to  move  the  arm  of  a 
marble  statue  ;  it  had  become  fixed  in  its  position. 
His  hand  was  closed,  and  where  the  nail  of  the  first 
finger  touched  the  flesh,  between  the  thumb  and  fore- 
finger, it  had  grown  through.  The  nail  of  the  thumb 
was  several  inches  long.  For  all  this  torture  they 
expect  to  live  in  a  higher  life  when  they  go  through 
the  next  transmigration. 

lycaving  Calcutta  I  journeyed  northward  as  far  as 
Benares,  the  chief  city  of  the  Brahmins.  Of  all  de- 
grading influences  that  could  be  imagined,  all  super- 
stitions indulged  in  by  rational  beings,  all  darkness 
that  ever  clouded  the  human  mind,  the  sum  total  is 


Serampore  Collejje,  Scene  of  Carey's  Labors. 


INDIA.  231 

centered  iu  this  city.  Benares  is  built  on  one  side  of 
the  sacred  Ganges,  and  extends  about  three  miles 
along  the  bank.  Early  one  morning  I  took  a  boat  and 
sailed  up  and  down  the  river,  to  better  see  the  city. 
All  the  houses  on  the  banks  have  steps  leading  down 
into  the  water,  and  at  this  early  hour  hundreds  were 
making  their  way  to  the  sacred  stream  to  bathe,  and 
worship  by  throwing  sacred  flowers  into  the  water. 
Almost  every  act  in  a  Hindu's  life  is  one  of  devo- 
tion. As  he  descends  the  steps  and  dips  himself  be- 
neath the  water,  he  is  happy  in  the  thought  that  he 
has  accomplished  a  twofold  purpose  —  cleansed  his 
body  and  paid  homage  to  the  stream. 

While  this  was  going  on  at  the  water's  edge,  just 
above,  on  the  bank,  I  witnessed  scenes  never  to  be 
forgotten.  The  highest  hope  of  the  Hindu  is  to  die 
in  sight  of  the  sacred  stream.  In  one  place  could 
be  seen  hundreds  of  men  and  women  afflicted  with 
every  disease  that  could  be  named,  and  in  every  stage 
of  death.  One  old  man,  in  a  dying  condition,  was 
being  borne  to  the  brink  by  his  friends.  They  reached 
there  just  as  he  was  about  breathing  his  last,  and  that 
he  might  know  the  blessing  of  a  final  look  at  the 
river,  a  young  woman  rushed  to  his  side,  and  with 
her  fingers  held  his  eyelids  open  until  the  last  spark 
of  life  had  fled.  This  sight  of  poor,  wretched,  igno- 
rant humanity,  as  looked  upon  on  that  spot,  filled 
me  with  a  sense  of  gratitude  for  the  blessing  of  birth 
in  a  Christian  land. 

At  one  edge  of  the  city  is  a  spot  set  aside  for  dis- 
posing of  the  dead.     It  has  been  the  custom  of  the 


232  INDIA. 

Brahmins,  so  far  as  we  have  any  record  of  their 
methods,  to  dispose  of  the  dead  by  burning,  and  the 
very  primitive  way  in  which  this  is  done  makes  it 
see'm  terrible. 

Five  or  six  bodies  lay  at  the  river's  edge  with  their 
feet  in  the  water,  while,  above,  the  preparations  for 
disposing  of  them  were  in  progress.  Special  men  are 
engaged,  who  go  at  their  work  very  much  as  they 
would  in  building  a  house.  Four  heavy  iron  rods 
are  driven  in  the  ground,  about  six  feet  apart  one 
way  and  four  the  other.  Logs  of  wood  are  piled  up 
on  this  space  to  a  height  of  about  four  feet,  the  re- 
mains are  placed  on  the  pile,  and  other  wood  makes 
the  pyre  complete.  Sitting  or  standing  near  are  the 
numerous  hired  mourners  and  the  relatives.  They 
are  dressed  in  pure  white,  and  wail  and  howl ;  the  one 
who  can  make  the  most  noise  is  the  best  mourner. 
The  nearest  relative,  who  is  the  chief  mourner, touches 
off  the  funeral  pyre,  the  wailing  is  renewed,  and,  to 
add  to  the  confusion,  boys  beat  tom-toms  (drums)  and 
"play"  on  all  sorts  of  instruments  that  produce  un- 
earthly sounds.  The  whole  scene  is  far  beyond  de- 
scription. The  long  flights  of  stairs  leading  into  the 
stream,  crowded  with  bathers  repeating  prayers,  the 
dead  and  dying,  the  cry  of  beggars,  the  wail  of 
mourners,  the  awful  sound  of  the  music,  the  cracking 
of  the  fire,  and  the  dark  clouds  of  curling  smoke,  all 
made  a  bewildering,  confusing  scene  from  which  I  was 
glad  to  turn,  only  to  find  things  equally  shocking. 

Mounting  the  stone  steps,  I  soon  reached  the  streets 
pf  the  city,  and  found  my  way  to  the  leading  temples, 


INDIA.  233 

The  first  was  the  Monkey  Temple.  Here  hundreds 
of  these  creatures  are  cared  for  and  almost  worshiped 
by  the  natives,  who  regard  them  as  sacred.  My  next 
visit  was  to  the  Cow  Temple.  The  cow  is  also  held 
a  sacred  animal  by  these  people,  and  this  temple,  set 
aside  for  their  special  care,  is  of  real  oriental  splendor 
and  design,  highly  ornamented  inside  and  out.  The 
lower  floor  is  set  aside  for  the  cows,  and  I  found  it 
just  like  an  ordinary  stable,  only  special  care  is  be- 
stowed upon  the  animals.  Hundreds  of  worshipers 
visit  the  place  daily.  At  one  end  is  a  shrine  for  the 
only  image  the  Brahmins  have.  It  represents  three 
gods  in  one,  and  is  the  most  hideous  thing  that  could 
possibly  be  imagined.  Worshipers  come  early  in  the 
morning  with  young  kids  to  sacrifice  to  this  god. 
The  poor  little  creatures  are  tied  up  by  the  hind  legs, 
hung  against  the  wall,  their  throats  cut,  and  their 
blood  thrown  before  the  idol ;  then  the  worshiper 
bathes  in  the  Ganges  near  by.  The  noise,  talk,  run- 
ning and  pushing  against  each  other,  and  the  absence 
of  all  influences  that  lead  to  a  worshipful  frame  of 
mind,  are  the  most  noticeable  features  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  temple.  The  upper  part  is  set  aside  for 
women  who  are  married  to  the  god,  which  means  that 
they  are  set  aside  as  the  special  property  of  the  holy 
fathers.  These  women  are  either  widows — the  de- 
spised of  India — or  young  girls  who  have  been  sold 
by  parents  whose  love  for  money  is  greater  than  their 
love  for  their  children.    - 


CHAPTER  III. 

PESHAWAR   AND   THE   KHYBER   PASS. 

|HEN  I  reached  India  I  found  it  a  much 
larger  country  than  I  had  expected,  and  I 
was  surprised  to  learn  that  I  could  go  from 
the  most  southerly  city  to  the  northern  boundary  by 
rail.  The  journey  is  a  long  and  very  tiresome  one  ; 
it  cannot  be  taken  in  comfort  unless  one  supplies 
his  own  bed.  This  necessitates  a  servant,  and  endless 
trouble  in  making  your  needs  known.  But  finally 
the  great  plains  were  crossed,  and  I  reached  Peshawar 
at  the  gateway  to  Afghanistan.  This  is  a  very  curi- 
ous city,  unlike  any  other  place  in  India.  The  old 
city  is  surrounded  by  a  high  wall  with  sixteen  gates, 
all  of  which  are  closed  by  nine  o'clock,  after  which 
no  one  is  admitted  without  countersigns  and  pass- 
words. 

Within  the  walls  of  this  city  there  are  only  four 
white  people  ;  these  are  all  young  women  from  Eng- 
land in  charge  of  the  Woman's  Hospital.  Their 
house  is  surrounded  by  walls  about  forty  feet  high, 
and  the  gateway  is  guarded  by  armed  sepoys.  In 
leaving  the  hospital  to  drive,  walk,  or  visit  a  patient, 
the  young  ladies  always  go  under  escort.  I  went  to 
the  top  of  the  house  to  view  the  city  and  surround- 
ings. The  houses  are  peculiar  to  this  place — built 
of  sun-dried  bricks  and  plastered  over  with  mud. 
Around  the  top  of  each  house  is  built  lattice-work, 
through  which  the  women  of  the  family  may  look 

234 


INDTA.  237 

unseen  into  the  streets  below.  They  bring  their 
spinning  to  this  place,  and  in  small  groups  work  and 
chatter  the  days  away. 

Driving  through  the  city  I  saw  a  very  different  race 
of  people  from  those  in  central  and  southern  India. 
The  city  is  cosmopolitan,  and  the  frontier  people  min- 
gle to  an  extent  unknown  in  any  other  part  of  the 
country.  The  natives  from  Cashmere  were  especially 
interesting,  and  their  dress  was  peculiar  to  them- 
selves. The  season  was  winter,  and  somewhat  severe 
for  that  country,  so  these  people  were  clad  in  their 
warmest  garments.  The  outer  were  made  of  goat- 
skin, worn  fur  side  in.  The  long  fur  coat  reached 
almost  to  the  ankles,  and  was  belted  in  at  the  waist 
with  a  knit  scarf.  Their  boots  were  of  heavy  leather, 
loose  and  baggy  at  the  ankles,  with  upturned  toes. 
On  their  heads  were  cone-shaped  skin  hats  ;  these 
were  also  worn  hair  side  in,  and  the  hair  hung  down 
over  their  foreheads  like  modern  bangs.  The  whole 
make-up  gave  them  a  very  strange  appearance. 

The  city  is  chiefly  Mohammedan,  and  early  in  the 
morning,  before  daylight,  can  be  heard  the  call  to 
prayer.  A  Mohammedan  with  strong  lungs  and 
heavy  voice  goes  through  the  city  crying,  "  O  sleeper, 
arise  and  pray  ;  there  is  but  one  God  and  his  prophet 
is  Mohammed  !  " 

Beyond  the  city,  towards  the  north,  lie  the  great 
plains,  shut  in  by  three  ranges  of  mountains — sandy 
foot-hills  without  a  shrub  or  blade  of  grass,  then  a 
greater  elevation,  and,  finally,  the  highest  range, 
covered  with   a   late  fall   of  snow.     Through    these 


238  INDIA. 

ranges  of  such  vast  extent,  three  passes  lead  to  the 
countries  beyond,  forming  the  only  means  of  commu- 
nication. Of  these  passes  Khyber  is  most  noted.  It 
is  the  gateway  to  Afghanistan,  that  country  whose 
ruler  is  fearful  the  whole  world  will  invade  his  pos- 
sessions. I  determined  to  at  least  go  through  the 
pass,  and  the  natural  perversity  of  woman's  nature 
filled  me  with  desire  to  commit  the  forbidden  act — 
enter  his  domain. 

Arrangements  were  soon  made  and  I  was  ready 
for  the  journey.  The  morning  was  bitterly  cold  ; 
white ,  frost  had  fallen  upon  everything,  and  even 
through  my  thick  robes  and  wraps  I  could  feel  the 
wintry  breeze.  A  drive  of  eight  miles  over  a  dreary 
waste  such  as  could  never  be  described,  brought  us  to 
the  fort,  which  is  the  end  of  the  Indian  possessions. 
Towering  in  awful  grandeur  before  us  rose  the  high 
peaks  of  the  mountain  range  through  which  we  were 
to  ride  thirty  miles  before  the  closely  guarded  terri- 
tory of  the  Ameer  would  be  reached.  The  pass  is 
filled  with  bandits  and  outlaws — who  live  in  caverns 
in  the  rocks  and  holes  in  the  earth — making  the  jour- 
ney most  unsafe.  I  had  applied  to  the  government 
for  troops,  and  found  them  in  readiness  for  me  at  the 
fort.  As  they  mounted  their  beautiful  horses,  most  of 
them  white  as  the  snow  before  us,  and  rode  oflf,  the 
sight  was  a  pretty  one.  The  natives  wore  dark  blue 
turbans  wound  about  their  heads  with  the  grace 
known  only  to  these  people.  Their  uniform  was  of 
semi-European  cut ;  dark  brown  in  color,  and  belted 
in  with  dark    blue   belts.     They  carried    guns,    long 


Elephant  Traveling. 


n 


INDIA.  243 

swords,  aud  glistening  bayonets,  and  made  quite  a 
show.     The  outriders  carried  spears. 

The  pass  through  which  we  were  to  journey  was 
thirty  miles  long  and  of  perfectly  natural  formation. 
Had  all  the  force  of  dynamite  been  applied,  aud  years 
of  toil  spent  in  an  effort  to  cut  through  the  range,  so 
perfect  a  pass  could  not  have  been  constructed.  The 
road  is  irregular  and  winding,  and  because  of  the 
granite  walls  on  each  side  the  highway  is  somewhat 
gloomy.  On  the  summits  of  the  lower  hills  were 
round  houses  used  as  lookout  posts,  and  in  these 
were  stationed  hundreds  of  armed  sepoys.  As  soon 
as  a  footfall  is  heard  on  the  road  they  spring  to  their 
posts  and  in  their  native  tongue  cry  out,  "Traveler, 
pass  on  ;  you  are  safe,  you  are  safe." 

When  half  way  through  we  came  upon  the  fort 
of  Ali  Masgid.  This  is  situated  at  an  elevation  of 
three  thousand  feet,  and  commands  a  fine  view  of 
both  entrances  to  the  pass.  I  made  my  way  to  the 
top  to  see  a  caravfin  coming  from  Cabool,  the  capital 
of  Afghanistan.  By  the  aid  of  the  field-glass  I  could 
see  camels,  hundreds  strong,  little  asses  weighted 
down  with  great  burdens,  and  many  Indian  cattle. 
They  made  their  way  over  the  winding  road  ;  now 
and  then  a  camel  would  find  its  way  over  a  hill, 
making  a  short  cut,  and  come  out  some  distance  in 
advance  of  the  others.  The  burdens  carried  by  the 
camels  were  so  great  that  one  animal  would  often 
require  the  whole  width  of  the  road.  They  were 
bringing  down  dried  fruits,  peaches  and  apricots ; 
also  green  fruits,  pomegranates  and  pineapples.     The 


244  INDIA. 

common   pottery  and   prayer-rugs  used   by  the   Mo- 
hammedans formed  part  of  their  burdens. 

After  the  animals  carrying  the  merchandise  had 
passed,  came  camels  carrying  the  native  women,  for 
many  families  were  coming  down  to  India  to  live.  A 
large  dry-goods  box  was  fastened  to  each  side  of  the 
camel,  and  in  these  the  women  were  stored  away,  as 
many  as  six  or  seven  in  a  box.  They  belonged  to 
the  high-caste  people,  so  their  faces  were  not  allowed 
to  be  seen,  and  their  garments  were  so  fashioned  that 
they  covered  the  entire  body.  Two  small  holes  were 
cut  out  of  the  dress  for  the  eyes,  but  aside  from  this 
no  feature  of  the  women  could  be  seen.  Concealed 
by  this  queer  raiment  the  women  were  allowed  to 
come  out  of  the  zenanas  and  travel  in  the  caravan. 
The  camels  were  driven  by  low-caste  Afghan  women, 
who  wore  tattered  trousers,  and  had  wild-looking 
eyes  and  screeching  voices.  They  carried  very  heavy 
sticks,  with  which  they  urged  on  a  lazy  camel  or  re- 
minded an  innocent-looking  ass  of  their  presence. 

With  these  strange-looking  people,  and  stranger 
surroundings,  I  traveled  back  to  India.  At  Pesha- 
war, the  English  keep  immense  stacks  of  telegraph 
poles  and  railroad  ties  and  rails,  that  they  may  pre- 
pare for  an  outbreak  at  short  notice,  for  Russia  is 
said  to  look  with  longing  eyes  in  that  direction.  A 
return  to  Lahore  brought  me  to  a  place  whence  I 
could  reach  almost  any  point  in  India  by  rail,  and 
from  these  central  cities  travel  either  by  elephant  or 
camel  to  remote  sections  where  native  life  could  be 
seen  in  all  its  varied  forms. 


CHAPTEP  IV. 

THE  TAJ-MAHAI.. — INDIAN   WIDOWS. 

EACHING  Central  India  I  stopped  ofif  at 
Agra,  the  city  noted  for  the  most  wonderful 
tomb  ever  erected  in  any  part  of  the  world 
—  the  Taj-Mahal.  The  traveler  in  India  has  the 
sight  of  this  tomb  ever  before  him  through  all  his 
journeyings.  It  is  to  Hindustan  what  the  volcano  of 
Fusiyama  is  to  Japan,  and  once  seen,  is  never  more 
to  be  forgotten.  In  the  mind's  picture  gallery  it 
remains  chief  of  all  that  is  artistic  in  the  world. 
Strength  of  building  has  insured  for  four  thousand 
years  the  preservation  of  the  pyramids,  but  beauty 
alone  has  preserved  this  crowning  glory  of  vast 
India. 

The  Great  Mogul  built  the  city  of  Agra  ;  at  his 
death  his  grandson,  Shah  Jehan,  inherited  his  vast 
wealth  and  became  a  great  spendthrift.  Shah  Jehan 
lived  in  Agra  with  his  favorite  wife,  who  bore  him 
eight  children  and  died  at  the  birth  of  the  ninth. 
When  dying,  his  wife  requested  him  to  build  a  tomb 
to  her  memory  that  would  surpass  in  splendor  any- 
thing the  world  had  ever  seen.  That  he  faithfully 
tried  to  carry  out  her  request  the  Taj  gives  ample 
evidence.  It  was  built  two  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago,  and  was  twenty  years  in  course  of  construction, 

twenty  thousand  men  working  on  it  daily.     It  cost 

247 


248  INDIA. 

several  millions  of  dollars,  which  represent  only  the 
value  of  material,  for  the  work  was  slave  labor.  The 
tomb  is  situated  in  a  large  garden  on  the  banks  of  a 
softly  flowing  stream.  It  rests  on  a  marble  platform 
six  feet  high,  is  octagon  in  shape,  built  of  pure  white 
marble,  with  Arabic  letters  from  the  Koran  mosaiced 
in  black  marble  on  the  snow-white  facings.  The 
structure  is  surmounted  by  a  large  central  dome  and 
four  smaller  ones,  one  on  each  corner. 

To  see  the  Taj  to  advantage  it  must  be  viewed 
by  moonlight.  One  night  when  the  great  city  was 
wrapped  in  slumber  we  made  our  way,  in  company 
with  a  Christian  guide,  to  the  spot  where  the  Taj 
stands.  We  passed  under  the  great  archway  and 
along  the  winding  path,  amid  playing  fountains  and 
blooming  flowers,  to  the  foot  of  the  steps  leading  to 
the  platform.  A  strange  feeling  took  possession  of 
me  as  I  mounted  those  steps  leading  to  a  place  of 
which  I  had  read  since  childhood,  but  upon  which  I 
had  never  expected  to  look.  We  reached  the  plat- 
form and  crossed  to  the  door.  Here  my  guide  paused 
and  lighted  his  small  lantern ;  then  we  entered,  to 
find  ourselves  in  a  good-sized  room,  a  large  portion 
of  which  was  occupied  by  a  finely -carved  alabaster 
screen.  The  whole  inside  was  finished  with  alabaster 
mosaiced  with  precious  stones.  Vines,  flowers  and 
buds  were  set  in  the  wall,  extending  from  floor  to 
dome ;  the  vines  were  of  green  stone,  and  the  flowers 
and  buds  of  jasper,  amethyst,  ruby,  chrysolite  and 
other  valuable  minerals.  We  passed  through  an 
archway  in  the  screen,  and  sat  on  the  marble  .stone 


INDIA.  251 

that  marks  the  resting-place  of  the  queen.  My  guide 
said,  "The  most  wonderful  thing  about  the  Taj  is 
the  echo.  Shall  I  sing  something  for  you?"  He 
sang  one  verse  of  Coronation,"  two  or  three  words 
at  a  time.  I  heard  the  first  words  echoed  from  the 
wall  near  the  floor,  rising  higher  and  higher  till  they 
reached  the  dome,  where  they  were  lost  in  the  sweet- 
est music.  Wonderfully  is  one  impressed  with  this 
melodious  echo.  When  all  other  sounds  fade  away 
and  are  lost  in  the  past,  this  seems  ever  and  always 
to  abide  with  me. 

It  is  thought  by  many  that  the  women  of  India  are 
in  a  greatly  improved  condition  under  the  British 
control  of  the  land.  It  is  true  that  some  little  advance 
has  been  made,  but  much  more  must  be  done  before 
the  women  of  that  country  can  ever  be  elevated  to  the 
standard  of  womanhood.  Some  years  ago,  Pundita 
Ramabai,  a  high-caste  Indian,  a  widow,  and  daughter 
of  a  Brahmin  priest,  became  interested  in  the  widows 
of  India,  and  never  rested  till  she  had  established  a 
home  for  them.  Ramabai  is  the  most  remarkable 
woman  that  India  has  ever  produced.  Her  father, 
contrary  to  custom,  believed  in  the  education  of  wo- 
men, whether  wives  or  daughters.  He  educated  his 
wife  and  she  assisted  in  the  education  of  the  daughter, 
who  felt  she  had  a  special  mission  to  go  from  house 
to  house  and  arouse  an  interest  in  the  education  of 
women.  This  prevented  her  marriage  until  the  unu- 
sual age  of  sixteen,  something  almost  unknown  among 
those  people.     She   married  a   lawyer,  but  in   little 


252  INDIA. 

more  than  a  year  and  a  half  he  died,  leaving  her 
branded  for  the  rest  of  her  life.  She  felt  the  sting  of 
this  so  bitterly  that  her  reason,  her  judgment,  told 
her  that  there  was  something  wrong  in  a  system  that 
branded  a  widowed  woman  and  made  her  an  object  of 
contempt.  She  decided  to  go  to  Europe  and  see  what 
the  life  of  a  woman  in  the  Christian  world  was  like. 
With  her  little  girl,  very  young,  she  arrived  in  the 
great  city  of  London,  among  people  of  whose  tongue 
she  knew  nothing ;  but  she  learned  the  language, 
came  to  America,  and  raised  a  very  large  sum  of 
money  for  her  Widows'  Home. 

While  in  Powain  I  visited  this  fine  institution, 
where  I  found  forty-seven  widows,  some  of  them  so 
small  and  young  that  it  would  be  supposed  that 
natural  human  kindness  would  have  led  to  their  pro- 
tection ;  but  they  were  despised,  abused  and  even 
cast  away,  until  the  kind-hearted  Ramabai  gathered 
them  in  and  cared  for  them. 

Next  to  this  remarkable  woman,  among  those  who 
have  come  out  a  benefactor  to  their  people  is  Miss 
Soonderbai  Powai,  who  has  gone  to  England  to  plead 
with  a  Christian  nation  to  come  to  the  rescue  of  the 
people  of  India  and  deliver  them  from  the  withering, 
blighting  curse  of  opium-smoking. 

In  crossing  India  I  stopped  at  Jeypoor  and  visited 
the  palace  of  the  Rajah,  who  was  very  kind.  He 
loaned  me  his  elephant  and  a  body-guard  that  I  might 
visit  the  people  of  his  domain.  This  was  my  first 
experience  in  traveling  by  elephant.     The  great  ugly 


INDIA.  255 

creature  got  down  with  great  effort  on  his  knees  and 
against  his  side  was  placed  a  ladder  which  had  to 
be  mounted  to  reach  his  back.  With  some  difl&culty, 
going  two  steps  up  and  slipping  back  one,  I  reached 
the  saddle,  where  I  sat  almost  breathless  till  the  guide 
and  Bible-woman  had  mounted.  The  driver  took  his 
seat  on  the  elephant's  neck,  just  behind  his  ears, 
holding  in  his  hand  a  long  three-pronged  fork,  with 
which  he  pierced  the  poor  creature  mercilessly.  The 
great  beast  rose  slowly  and  started  off  with  his  burden, 
carrying  us,  day  after  day,  over  mountains,  down  into 
valleys,  and  through  cities,  with  slow  but  sure  tread, 
till  I  felt  my  worst  experience  in  globe-trotting  was 
surely  not  in  viewing  the  landscape  from  the  back  of 
an  elephant. 


AFRICA. 

CHAPTER  I. 

KILLING  TIME   ON    SHIPBOARD. 

|HE  most  cosmopolitan  gathering  in  which  I 
ever  found  myself  was  in  a  crowded  steamer 
starting  on  a  long  voyage ;  better  opportu- 
nity for  studying  character  is  rarely  afforded.  Is 
there  anything  in  the  world  more  interesting  than  the 
study  of  our  fellow  creatures,  each  cast  in  a  different 
mold,  with  such  varied  characteristics  ?  We  look  in 
wonder  upon  nature,  studying  it  in  all  its  forms,  from 
the  buttercup  af  our  feet  to  the  mighty  oak  lifting 
its  proud  head  above  us  ;  we  are  fascinated  by  the  skill 
of  man,  and  stand  amazed  before  his  handiwork  ; 
but  nothing  affords  such  a  source  of  never-ending 
study  and  surprise  as  humanity.  The  chance  to  in- 
dulge in  such  study  came  to  me  en  route  from  Aus- 
tralia to  Africa.  It  was  in  the  month  of  May,  the 
early  autumn  of  the  former  land,  that  I  took  passage 
by  the  only  line  of  steamers  plying  between  those 
countries,  and  found  myself  among  all  conditions  of 
men  and  women. 

The  voyage  before  us  was  long— one  month  out  of 
sight  of  land.     The  steamer  was  a  freight  boat  with 


258  AFRICA. 

passenger  accommodations  ;  and  even  with  delightful 
company  the  journey  would  not  have  been  the  most 
desirable  thing  to  undertake.  The  day  after  we  left, 
when  all  view  of  land  was  lost,  we  turned  our  atten- 
tion to  "  getting  settled."  All  were  strangers  to  one 
another,  and  after  a  general  summing  up  all  round, 
and  determining  in  our  own  minds  who  were  the  good- 
tempered  and  most  companionable  ones,  we  formed 
ourselves  into  little  groups — to  talk  about  the  others. 
It  was  at  the  time  of  the  great  financial  collapse  in 
Australia.  Many  had  lost  all  ;  others,  with  what 
little  remained,  had  turned  their  faces  towards  a  new 
country,  hoping  in  a  brief  time  to  retrieve  their  di- 
minished estates.  In  Africa  there  was  much  excite- 
ment over  recent  discoveries  of  gold  ;  and  thither 
most  were  journeying  as  toward  the  promised  land. 
Many  were  hard-working  people,  who  usually  make 
up  the  population  of  mining  regions  the  world  over. 
Others  were  "  speculators  "  — in  plain  English,  gam- 
blers. Two  ladies  were  on  their  way  to  be  married  ; 
one  had  reached — yes,  had  passed — the  midsummer  of 
life,  and  amused  herself  by  humming, 

"This  way  I  long  have  sought,  and  mourned  because  I  found 
it  not." 

One  couple  were  on  their  way  to  England  to  be 
married,  taking  their  honeymoon  in  advance.  Two 
doctors,  intending  to  practice  their  arts  on  the  unsus- 
pecting miner,  were  among  the  number.  An  English 
millionaire,  a  young  lady  traveling  alone,  and  a  long, 
lean,  lank  individual,  who  proved  to  be  delightful 
company,  made  up  the  passenger  list. 


AFRICA.  259 

The  weather  was  stormy  the  first  two  weeks,  and 
drove  us  under  the  awnings,  where  the  limited  space 
brought  us  together  like  a  flock  of  sheep.  These 
close  relations  proved  to  be  not  the  most  pleasant 
thing  in  the  world,  for  we  were  sometimes  forced  to 
hear  ourselves  the  subject  of  remark  or  criticism,  a 
thing  little  calculated  to  add  to  the  harmony  of  the 
trip.  When  the  ancient  spinster's  joy  over  her  happy 
estate  was  not  the  topic  of  discussion,  the  free  ways  of 
the  younger  were  commented  on.  For  the  sake  of 
excitement  some  of  the  party  fell  to  match-making, 
and  tried  hard  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  voyage 
by  having  a  real  wedding  on  board.  This  failed,  so 
they  decided  to  have  a  mock  breach  of  promise  trial ; 
the  engaged  young  lady  sued  a  cross-eyed  Jew  for  ten 
thousand  pounds  damaged  affections,  I  being  retained 
as  her  counsel.     Of  course  the  case  was  won. 

When  the  storm  was  over  and  we  once  again  sailed 
in  calm  waters,  it  was  only  to  experience  great  dis- 
comfort in  our  cabins  ;  for  we  were  packed  like  sar- 
dines in  a  box,  and  the  unventilated  condition  of  the 
rooms  inclined  us  to  imagine  that  the  "  speculators  " 
had  gotten  up  "  a  corner  "  on  air.  One  trying  night, 
when  life  was  a  burden  scarcely  to  be  borne,  and  the 
heated  condition  of  my  cabin  could  no  longer  be  en- 
dured, I  threw  my  wrap  about  me  and  made  my  way 
to  the  deck.  The  lights  were  out,  but  I  groped  along 
to  a  bench,  where  I  threw  myself  down,  thinking  to 
remain  only  a  few  moments.  It  was  a  dark,  dark 
night ;  not  even  one  star  could  be  seen.  Great 
sable  clouds  had  rolled  themselves  up  against  th^ 


26o  AFRICA. 

horizon  like  mountains  of  smoke,  and  only  now  and 
then  could  be  seen  the  face  of  the  moon  passing 
through  the  rifts,  to  be  almost  instantly  lost  again  in 
the  blackness.  Thus  for  a  time  it  played  hide-and- 
seek  with  the  sea,  upon  whose  bosom  the  reflected 
clouds  seemed  to  spread  themselves,  till  it,  too,  rolled 
in  inky  blackness  about  us. 

Soon  I  heard  the  sound  of  voices  near  by,  and  be- 
came aware  that  I  was  not  alone,  though  the  hour 
was  late.  I  lifted  my  head  and  peered  into  the  dark- 
ness, straining  my  eyes  in  the  direction  whence  the 
sound  came.  The  clouds  had  again  parted,  and  as 
the  moon  shone  out  for  an  instant  I  recognized  two 
figures,  who  had  now  grown  familiar  to  us,  and  of 
whom  it  was  whispered,  "  They  will  make  a  match." 
I  was  evidently  unobserved,  so  I  resumed  my  reclin- 
ing attitude  and  tried  to  sleep  ;  but  my  ears  were  too 
unaccustomed  to  the  words  that  followed,  for  unin- 
tentionally I  overheard  this  Romeo  declare  to  his 
Juliet  the  tender  passion  that  filled  his  heart.  When 
he  had  exhausted  all  the  adjectives  at  his  command, 
and  failed  to  express  all  that  she  was  and  ever  could 
be  to  him,  he  paused,  not  so  much  to  find  words  as 
to  catch  breath  ;  then  with  new  strength  and  added 
vigor,  he  "fell  to"  again,  and  finally  concluded  by 
gasping,  as  with  his  parting  breath,  "Oh,  thou — oh, 
thou — ."  This  was  too  much  to  longer  endure. 
One  may  imagine  the  feeling  of  utter  loneliness  that 
would  creep  upon  an  old  maid,  away  ojBf  in  the  middle 
of  the  sea  on  a  dark  night,  in  hearing  such  tender 
heart  appeals  and  knowing  that  they  were  meant  for 


AFRICA.  261 

another.  I  silently  withdrew  to  meditate  upon  the 
strangeness  of  fate — perchance  to  slumber. 

The  captain  was  splendid  company,  and  to  the 
bridge  I  often  betook  myself  to  hear  him,  with  great 
enthusiasm,  tell  of  his  efforts  to  solve  the  mysteries 
of  the  heavens.  Standing  with  him  one  lovely  night, 
when  every  star  shone  with  a  beauty  wholly  its  own, 
the  captain  said,  in  a  half-daring  way,  "  Why  don't 
you  go  to  the  mast-head  ?"  My  reply  was,  "  I  will, 
if  you  will  go  with  me."  A  gentleman  on  board,  a 
special  friend  of  the  captain's,  was  to  go  with  us. 
He  was  sent  for,  and  our  intention  was  told  him,  with 
strict  injunctions  "  not  to  breathe  a  word  about  it  " — 
but  whoever  knew  or  heard  of  a  man  keeping  a 
secret  ?  Before  the  appointed  time  it  had  been  whis- 
pered among  the  passengers  that  a  lady  was  going 
aloft  that  night.  Great  was  the  astonishment,  and 
much  the  speculation  as  to  who  the  lady  was.  About 
nine  o'clock  I  withdrew  to  my  cabin  to  prepare  for 
this  new  experience.  I  drew  forth  the  garment  that 
always  forms  part  of  my  wardrobe,  a  divided  skirt — 
used  only  on  special  occasions — over  which  I  put  only 
a  jacket  that  my  feet  might  be  perfectly  free.  I  tied 
a  scarf  about  my  ears,  for  the  night  was  chilly,  and 
took  a  short  cut,  unobserved,  to  the  bridge,  where 
the  gentlemen  were  in  waiting. 

From  the  bridge  we  crossed  to  the  steerage  quarters, 
where  we  mounted  the  rope  at  the  side  of  the  ship. 
My  heart  beat  faster  as  I  put  my  foot  on  the  ladder 
and  felt  it  give  slightly  ;  but  with  the  captain  on  one 
gid^  and   a  fearless  gentleman  on  the  other,  I  took 


262  AFRICA. 

courage.  "  Look  aloft,"  said  the  captain;  and  obey- 
ing his  command,  with  face  turned  heavenward,  I 
went  up  step  by  step  till  the  end  of  the  ladder  was 
reached.  It  was  my  thought  to  set  oflf  a  blue  light, 
but  the  sails  were  all  spread  ;  at  that  height  the  wind 
was  very  strong,  and  with  sparks  flying  into  the  rig- 
ging great  damage  might  have  been  caused.  It  was  a 
perfect  night ;  the  full  moon  shone  in  all  its  glory, 
throwing  a  flood  of  light  upon  the  dancing  waves  as 
they  went  shimmering  along  in  their  wild  unrest ;  and 
the  stars  twinkled  their  clear  light  upon  us  from  the 
cloudless  sky.  From  this  height  the  people  on  the 
deck  seemed  like  small  children,  as  they  nervously 
moved  about  awaiting  our  descent,  which  was  more 
difl&cult  than  the  climb  upwards.  I  finally  reached 
the  deck  in  safety,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  passengers, 
and  the  ' '  Well  done  ;  you  are  the  first  woman  I  have 
ever  heard  of  who  would  venture  to  the  mast-head," 
from  the  captain. 

My  last  experience  on  the  ship  was  the  throwing 
overboard  of  a  sealed  bottle  in  which  I  had  placed  a 
note  of  greeting  to  the  finder.  This  drifted  thousands 
of  miles,  and  was  picked  up  some  months  later  on  the 
shores  of  a  distant  land  by  a  gentleman,  who  at  once 
notified  me  of  his  discovery. 

With  these  varied  incidents  time  wore  away  until 
we  at  last  reached  our  desired  haven. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ASCENT    OF    TABLE    MOUNTAIN. — JOHANNESBURG    TO 
QUEENSTOWN. 

|HE  first  sight  of  Africa  was  disappointing. 
It  is  true  we  saw  Table  Mountain,  of 
which  so  much  has  been  written,  and  to  the 
summit  of  which  almost  every  tourist  wends  his  weary 
way,  to  return  footsore  and  limping,  but  able  to  say, 
"  I  have  been  to  the  top  of  Table  Mountain."  It  is 
about  three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  high,  with  a 
platform  usually  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  mist,  which 
gives  it  the  appearance  of  being  spread  with  a  white 
cloth — hence  its  name. 

The  first  sight  of  Cape  Town  was  also  disappoint- 
ing. I  had  expected  to  find  a  much  larger  city,  with 
very  different  looking  people.  The  natives  appeared 
to  be — and  in  fact  are — a  mixture  of  every  race  ;  they 
have  intermarried  until  now  they  belong  to  no  really 
distinct  family,  and  are  without  distinguishing  charac- 
teristics. They  have  partly  adopted  foreign  dress  and 
manners,  and  are  the  most  uninteresting  people  I  have 
ever  seen.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  old  Dutch 
houses,  the  city  is  modern  in  appearance,  and  contains 
some  fine  buildings. 

Like  all  other  visitors,  I,  too,  must  go  to  the  top  of 

Table  Mountain.    Through  the  kindness  of  the  mayor 

263 


264  AFRICA. 

it  was  arranged  that  I  should  reach  the  summit,  and 
at  the  same  time  save  my  strength  and  shoe  leather. 
On  the  top  of  the  mountain  a  great  reservoir  was  in 
course  of  construction,  and  to  carry  material  to  the  top 
serial  cable  lines  had  been  put  up.  These  consisted 
of  heavy  wire  ropes,  extending  from  the  apex  of  the 
mountain  to  its  foot ;  an  engine  at  each  end  kept  the 
cable  in  motion.  Over  these  wires  ran  pulleys,  to 
which  baskets  were  attached,  and  in  one  of  these  we 
were  to  ascend  three  thousand  five  hundred  feet. 
The  manager  of  the  works  and  another  gentleman 
were  to  accompany  me. 

A  long  and  delightful  drive  around  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  brought  us  to  the  side  facing  the  sea,  where 
the  engine  house  stands,  from  which  point  we  were  to 
start.  The  perpendicular  walls  of  the  vast  hill  rose 
before  us,  and  the  undertaking  seemed  most  perilous. 
We  crowded  ourselves  into  the  basket,  the  signal  was 
given,  and  we  moved  slowly  over  the  wire,  suspended 
in  mid-air.  I  looked  below,  and  saw  the  shadow  grow 
less  and  less  till  it  seemed  scarcely  the  size  of  my 
hand.  As  we  neared  the  face  of  the  rock  we  hung  at 
rest  for  a  few  minutes  until  a  workman  gathered  us 
up,  and  we  were  landed  on  the  top.  There  were  a 
fine  view,  wonderful  works,  and  hundreds  of  men  to 
be  seen  ;  and  even  a  nice  house — the  home  of  the 
manager — where  we  rested  and  partook  of  his  hospi- 
tality. But,  truth  to  tell,  I  was  thinking  about  the 
getting  down  again,  and  I  confess  I  did  not  like  the 
idea,  especially  when  the  gentleman  who  was  with  us 
said,  "  I  would  give  anything  if  this  trip  were  over." 


AFRICA.  265 

When  the  time  for  the  descent  arrived,  I  walked  to  the 
edge  of  the  summit,  seated  myself  in  the  basket,  and 
took  courage  for  the  down  trip,  which  was  accom- 
plished in  a  few  minutes  ;  and  then  I,  too,  was  able 
to  say,  "  I  have  been  to  the  top  of  Table  Mountain." 

Just  out  of  Cape  Town  a  few  miles  is  one  of  General 
Booth's  colonies.  By  kind  invitation  of  the  overseer 
I  drove  out  to  see  what  was  being  done  to  elevate  a 
small  portion  of  the  "  submerged  tenth,"  in  whose 
interests  the  General  has  so  bravely  worked.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  if  the  poverty-stricken  of  the  great 
cities  could  be  brought  to  such  places,  and  surrounded 
by  similar  influences,  there  would  soon  stand  forth  a 
mighty  host  for  whose  bettered  condition  they  would 
forever  bless  General  Booth.  The  colony  in  South 
Africa,  if  properly  managed,  will  prove  a  great  inspi- 
ration to  many  a  weary  pilgrim  who  has  fallen  in  the 
struggle  of  life. 

Very  much  has  been  said  of  the  vexations  of  trav- 
eling in  Africa  ;  but  the  half  was  never  told.  In 
accordance  with  all  that  I  had  heard  I  equipped 
myself  with  spirit-lamp,  teapot  and  tea,  and  such 
things  as  would  add  to  the  comfort  of  the  journey, 
and  boarded  the  train  for  Johannesburg,  a  city  some 
twelve  hundred  miles  distant.  For  a  few  hours  we 
journeyed  through  a  beautiful,  well-cultivated  coun- 
try, but  before  the  shadows  of  night  had  closed 
around  us  we  came  to  a  wild,  weary  waste,  over 
which  we  were  doomed  to  travel  for  two  days  and 
nights.  This  wilderness,  which  produces  scarcely  a 
blade  of  grass,  is  so  vast  in  extent  that  even  a  field- 


266  AFRICA. 

glass  fails  to  reveal  its  limits.  The  wind,  always 
reduced  to  a  low,  sad  wail,  falls  upon  the  ear  like  a 
distant  cry  of  distress,  sweeps  the  desert  the  whole 
journey  through,  and  makes  the  nights  almost 
unbearable.  We  stopped  only  at  a  few  small  places, 
to  take  coal  or  water  ;  but  little  of  life — not  even  the 
natives — ^is  visible  along  the  line.  Those  who  see  the 
byways  and  highways  of  this  great  world  of  ours  see 
them  at  a  terrible  cost  of  bodily  discomfort.  At  the 
end  of  that  long  and  tiresome  journey  I  felt  a  fit  sub- 
ject for  the  hospital. 

Johannesburg  is  a  wonderful  city  ;  I  am  almost 
inclined  to  say  worth  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  to  see 
it.  The  place  is  more  than  wonderful ;  it  stands  out  a 
perfect  marvel.  Here  is  a  city  of  forty-five  thousand 
people — a  city  containing  some  of  the  finest  buildings 
on  the  continent,  erected  at  greater  expense  and  labor 
than  that  bestowed  on  any  other  modern  town  ;  for 
the  rocks  and  stones  from  which  the  chief  buildings 
were  reared  were  brought  from  a  great  distance,  either 
on  mule-back  or  by  bullock  cart.  Nothing  but  the 
discovery  of  gold  or  diamonds  could  have  gathered 
together  such  numbers,  or  awakened  such  wide-spread 
enthusiasm.  In  this  case  gold  was  the  attraction,  and 
men  became  millionaires  almost  before  they  were 
aware  of  it.  It  is  the  greatness  of  the  place,  rather 
than  its  beauty,  that  so  astonishes  one.  The  immense 
square  in  the  center  (which  should  be  laid  out  as  a 
park)  has  been  set  aside  for  a  market-place  ;  and  here 
each  morning  numbers  of  bullock  carts,  driven  by 
natives,  bring  wares  to  the  city.     The  heavy  wagons 


AFRICA.  267 

are  drawn  by  ten  pairs  of  oxen,  the  first  pair  being 
led  by  a  native  by  means  of  a  heavy  strap.  These 
teams  become  so  mixed  that  often  much  skill  is 
required  in  the  separation. 

Less  than  half  an  hour  by  rail  is  the  city  of  Pre- 
toria, the  capital  of  the  Transvaal.  Between  these 
cities  a  deadly  hatred  seems  to  exist,  doubtless  be- 
cause of  the  numbers  of  English  who  have  come  to 
Johannesburg  and  made  great  fortunes.  In  their 
enterprises  they  have  greatly  outdone  the  Boer,  who 
seems  quite  satisfied  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father  and  grandfather,  and  the  very  presence  of  the 
English  is  regarded  as  an  infringement  on  Dutch 
rights. 

At  a  large  reception  given  by  Sir  Jacobus  de  Wit, 
the  English  minister,  I  met  the  representatives  of 
France,  Prussia,  Germany,  Belgium,  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  and,  in  fact,  those  of  all  treaty  countries. 
The  Belgian  minister  was  a  remarkable  man,  for 
whom  new  regions  had  strong  fascination.  He  was 
possessed  of  a  great  desire  to  tread  unknown  parts — 
' '  to  step  on  sod  never  pressed  by  the  foot  of  the 
white  man  !  "  To  this  end  he  made  preparation  for  an 
extended  trip  to  distant  parts,  taking  with  him  sev- 
eral natives  and  camping  out.  After  long  days  and 
weary  nights  of  travel  he  reached  a  lonely,  forsaken 
spot  on  a  hillside,  and  there  pitched  his  tent,  believ- 
ing he  was  far  out  of  the  track  of  his  kind.  A  large 
fire  was  kindled  without  the  tent,  and  the  lone  min- 
strel sat  him  down  to  pick  the  jews-harp.  His  soul 
reveled  in  the  delight  that  from  that  spot  no  white 


268  AFRICA. 

face  had  ever  looked  into  the  starry  firmament,  no 
eager  soul  had  feasted  on  the  wild  beauty — this  alone 
was  left  for  him;  and  with  a  satisfaction  born  of  great 
achievement  he  fell  asleep.  The  next  morning  he 
betook  himself  to  a  cool  seat  under  the  long,  feathery, 
drooping  limbs  of  a  tropical  tree  to  revel  in  solitude. 
A  native,  following  with  a  fur  rug  and  a  camp-stool 
for  the  comfort  of  his  master,  found  an  empty  sardine 
box  and  a  whisky  bottle,  which  he  tossed  to  one 
side,  and  they  fell  almost  at  the  feet  of  the  Belgian. 
The  latter's  disappointment  was  almost  greater  than 
he  could  bear.  With  uplifted  eyes  and  extended 
arms  he  exclaimed,  "Great  heaven!  the  Scotchman 
has  been  here  before  me  !  ' '  Then  turning  in  haste 
from  these  "  pioneers  of  civilization,"  he  retraced  his 
steps,  and  for  the  future  left  unbeaten  tracks  for  the 
Scotchman. 

By  the  kindness  of  the  president  of  the  Transvaal, 
I  was  shown  through  the  Mint,  and  thus  my  >?isits  to 
Pretoria  and  Johannesburg  gave  me  an  acquaintance 
with  the  precious  metal  in  all  its  stages,  from  the 
rough  ore  to  the  burnished,  small,  flat  pieces  so  much 
coveted  by  the  sons  of  men.  The  scales  on  which  the 
finished  money  is  tested  are  so  delicately  constructed 
that  they  will  correctly  register  the  weight  of  a  man 
or  a  hair  from  his  mustache.  A  speck  of  dust  will 
throw  them  out  of  balance.  The  Transvaal  is  full  of 
interest,  but  the  people  lack  enterprise.  If  Cecil 
Rhodes  had  "  right  of  way  "  in  the  republic,  it  would 
soon  be  transformed,  and,  doubtless,  the  same  devel- 
opments would  be  brought  about  that  have  character- 


A  Scene  in  Africa. 


AFRICA.  269 

ized  his  rule  —  for  he  rules — in  Cape  Colony.  In 
traveling  southward  along  the  east  coast  the  modes  of 
conveyance  discount  the  railway  trains  in  real  discom- 
fort, and  my  courage  almost  failed  me  when  I  learned 
that  my  next  trip  must  be  made  in  a  ten-horse  stage; 
but  later  I  had  reason  to  congratulate  myself  that  we 
had  the  sure-footed  horse  instead  of  the  fleet  zebra 
used  in  the  north.  The  hour  of  starting  was  four  in 
the  morning.  Weary  of  flesh  and  sad  of  spirit  I 
dragged  myself  forth  at  the  very  hour  when  I  was 
wont  to  indulge  in  sweetest  slumber,  and  mounted  the 
stage.  The  driver  jumped  lightly  to  the  box,  gath- 
ered up  the  reins,  and  before  I  knew  it  the  mettlesome 
steeds  were  speeding  on  their  way. 

The  coach  was  filled  with  passengers,  outside  as 
well  as  in.  This  gave  it  the  appearance  of  being  top- 
heavy  ;  and  as  we  swayed  from  side  to  side  we  were 
in  constant  fear  that  those  of  us  on  the  top  would  be 
left  by  the  wayside.  The  careless,  almost  reckless, 
manner  of  the  driver  was  in  no  way  calculated  to 
inspire  confidence,  and  my  only  thought  was,  "How 
awful  it  will  be  when  night  comes  on." 

Night  came.  The  rocking,  rolling  and  shaking 
continued  with  unabated  fury  till  the  small  hours  of 
the  morning,  when  we  stopped  for  refreshments  and 
a  few  hours'  rest — our  misery  to  begin  again  at  dawn. 
The  following  day  the  stewing,  broiling  and  semi- 
congealing — according  to  the  various  states  of  the 
temperature— came  to  an  end,  and  we  arrived  in 
safety  at  the  east  coast.  This  section  of  the  country 
was  wholly  unlike   that   through  which    I   had  just 


270  AFRICA. 

fought  my  way  ;  the  heavy  winds  of  the  Karroo, 
which  seem  to  be  on  contract  (as  is  everything  else  in 
Africa)  to  blow  just  so  much  in  a  given  space,  had 
been  left  behind,  and  from  the  surrounding  beauty  it 
was  difi&cult  to  realize  that  we  were  not  in  some  other 
part  of  the  world.  The  barren  wastes  of  the  desert 
had  given  way  to  tropical  foliage  ;  and  the  moaning 
wind  was  lost  in  the  fresh  sea  air  that  blew  softly 
over  the  land,  subduing  the  clouds  of  dust  that  until 
then  had  continuously  enveloped  us. 

Continuing  the  journey  southward  we  came  to 
Queenstown,  where  we  saw  the  first  real  native  vil- 
lage, some  two  or  three  miles  from  the  city.  This 
was  inhabited  by  Kaffirs,  who  received  us  with  great 
hospitality,  showing  us  through  their  houses,  and 
giving  us  any  desired  information.  The  Kaffirs  are  of 
a  somewhat  lower  order  of  intellect  than  that  I  had  ex- 
pected to  find ;  and  to  educate  and  evangelize  them  is, 
in  my  opinion,  an  almost  hopeless  task,  though  the 
missionaries  report  great  progress  in  this  direction. 

In  these  parts  the  natives  are  not  so  black  as  are 
the  negroes  of  the  United  States,  but  they  are  much 
less  intellectual  in  appearance.  The  men  wear  only 
a  blanket  wrapped  around  them ;  no  matter  how 
hot  the  sun,  or  cold  the  wind,  this  ever  abides  with 
them.  In  some  way  these  blankets  are  dyed  a  deep 
terra-cotta  color,  and  one  blanket  serves  the  wearer 
for  years.  From  appearance,  I  should  say  some  of 
them  had  been  handed  down  for  several  generations. 

The  men  are  lazy,  and  their  highest  ambition  is  to 
possess  themselves  of  a  certain   number  of  cattle  ; 


AFRICA.  271 

with  these  they  are  able  to  purchase  a  number  of 
wives.  In  increasing  his  wives  the  Kafl&r  increases 
his  stock  in  trade,  for  the  women  perform  all  the  hard 
labor.  When  a  man  is  the  happy  possessor  of  three 
or  four  wives,  it  means  support  and  laziness  for  the 
rest  of  his  life.  He  places  the  same  value  on  a  wife 
that  he  would  on  any  live  stock. 

Kafl&r  villages  and  houses  are  built  in  circular  form, 
for  the  Kaffir  mind  is  wholly  unequal  to  forming  a 
square,  just  as  a  circle  is  beyond  the  skill  of  a  Hotten- 
tot. A  large  open  space  is  selected,  and  the  huts  are 
built  near  one  another,  and  then  inclosed  by  a  stone  or 
earth  wall.  The  huts  are  most  curiously  constructed. 
Limber  poles  are  set  in  the  ground  in  circular  form, 
about  three  feet  apart.  When  these  are  all  placed, 
the  ends  are  brought  together  at  the  top  and  fas- 
tened. This  forms  the  framework  of  the  house,  mak- 
ing it  cone  shape  ;  it  is  then  interwoven  with  heavy 
waterproof  grass.  The  entire  frame  is  covered,  leav- 
ing only  space  for  a  low  door,  to  enter  which  one  must 
almost  crawl — or  at  least  bend  very  low.  The  huts 
are  without  chimneys  or  windows,  and  are  wholly  des- 
titute of  furniture.  The  floor  serves  for  a  bed  ;  and 
the  natives  sleep  in  the  same  blanket  worn  in  the 
day.  Thus  their  wants  are  very  few.  The  fire  is 
kindled  on  the  floor,  and  as  there  is  no  outlet  for 
smoke,  everything  is  heavy  with  the  odor  of  burnt 
wood  or  grass.  The  occupants  of  these  huts  subsist 
chiefly  on  a  kind  of  corn,  which  is  eaten  with  a  great 
spoon  from  the  vessel  in  which  it  is  cooked. 

The  Kafl&r  women  are  low  of  stature,  and  wear  two 


272  AFRICA. 

blankets  instead  of  one,  both  of  which  are  of  the  same 
hideous  color.  One  is  tied  around  the  waist  ;  the 
other  is  thrown  over  the  shoulders  in  cool  weather, 
but  is  cast  off  during  the  hot  season,  when  the  upper 
part  of  the  body  is  without  cover.  Some  of  the  women 
are  very  shapely,  and,  unlike  the  men,  many  have 
fine  features,  which  are  often  disfigured,  however,  by 
an  ugly  paint  of  the  color  of  the  blankets.  Like  all 
natives  they  are  fond  of  showy  ornaments,  and  bedeck 
themselves  with  beads  of  every  color  on  the  arms  to 
the  elbows,  and  around  the  neck,  extending  to  the 
waist.  They  usually  build  the  houses,  perform  most 
of  the  heavy  labor,  and  occupy  the  same  place  that 
woman  has  always  held  in  the  heathen  countries  of 
the  world. 


CHAPTER  III. 

AT  HOME  WITH  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  STORY  OF 
AN  AFRICAN  FARM." 

|ACH  country  and  age  has  its  heroes,  martyrs 
and  geniuses.  In  every  land  the  halo  of 
greatness  rests  upon  some  brow  whose  re- 
flected light  shines  across  the  seas  to  other  lands 
bearing  on  its  shimmering  beams  a  name  that  be- 
comes an  inspiration  to  the  world.  The  thought  of 
"darkest"  has  been  so  long  associated  with  the 
name  of  Africa  that  one  would  scarcely  expect  to 
discover  anything  which  could  be  designated  by  the 
name  of  "  genius,"  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  from  that  dark 
land  there  have  been  flashed  over  the  wires  of  the 
world  names  whose  greatness  has  left  its  imprint 
upon  our  day. 

While  traveling  through  this  country,  in  many  re- 
spects so  uninteresting,  I  met  men  and  women  who 
had  distinguished  themselves,  and  whose  names  were 
enrolled  upon  the  book  of  fame.  I  suppose  the  best 
known  woman  in  Africa  is  Olive  Schreiner,  or,  per- 
haps, I  should  say  the  best  known  family  is  the 
Schreiner  family,  of  which  Olive  is  the  most  distin- 
guished. It  is  not  an  exceptional  thing  to  find  one 
member  of  a  family  who  possesses  gifts  beyond  the 
usual ;  but  to  find  a  whole  family  of  geniuses,  with 
gifts  so  varied  that  they  compass  the  entire  range  of 

273 


274  AFRICA. 

modern  thought,  is  something  indeed  extraordinary. 
Yet  each  one  of  the  Schreiner  family  stands  out  a 
character  by  itself.  Olive  was  introduced  to  the  lit- 
erary world  under  the  somewhat  singular  name  of 
' '  Ralph  Iron, ' '  and  through  the  medium  of  a  book 
which  was  a  decided  departure  from  the  usual  line  of 
thought — "  The  Story  of  an  African  Farm."  I  read 
the  book  soon  after  it  appeared  in  America,  and  be- 
cause of  its  peculiar  theology  and  remarkable  views 
concerning  the  marriage  question — which  had  not 
then  been  developed  into  a  "question,"  but  was 
accepted,  as  it  had  been  handed  down  to  us,  as  a 
divine  institution,  and  therefore  the  only  form  that 
could  be  recognized — because  of  these  strange  ideas  I 
had  a  great  desire  to  see  the  writer.  When  the  suc- 
cess of  the  book  was  assured  and  the  real  name  of  its 
author  had  become  known,  I  was  filled  with  a  greater 
desire  than  ever  to  look  into  the  face  of  the  woman 
who  had  penned  this  somewhat  weird  production. 
The  opportunity  came  to  me  during  my  sojourn  in 
Africa  when  I  visited  Olive  Schreiner  in  her  home. 

Her  book  being  without  a  frontispiece  of  the  writer, 
the  only  idea  to  be  formed  of  her  personal  appearance 
must  of  necessity  be  based  on  the  characteristics  of 
the  book.  These  being  so  unusual,  it  was  but  natural 
to  expect  to  see  a  somewhat  unusual  appearing  indi- 
vidual. With  these  thoughts  in  my  mind  I  left  the 
train  at  a  station  a  short  distance  from  Craddock,  and 
found  the  carriage  waiting  to  convey  me  to  the  farm, 
gome  three  miles  distant. 


Olive  Schreiner. 


AFRICA.  277 

Viewing  the  surrounding  country  as  we  drove 
along,  I  did  not  see  how  any  place  in  that  region 
could  be  called  a  farm.  My  whole  being  just  tingled 
with  suppressed  interrogation-points,  as  I  wondered 
what  such  barren  land  could  produce.  Arrived  at 
the  farm,  a  little  body  flitted  from  the  house  to  the 
gate  to  welcome  me,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes  I 
was  truly  at  home  with  this  interesting^  chatty  little 
woman. 

Mrs.  Schreiner  is  under  average  height,  with  dark 
hair,  arranged  in  that  careless  style  so  becoming  to 
genius.  Her  dark,  sparkling  eyes  light  up  her  face 
with  wonderful  brightness  as  she  expresses  the  inter- 
est she  feels  in  all  things ;  for,  from  this  place  where 
one  seems  almost  buried,  she  keeps  in  perfect  touch 
with  the  outside  world  and  its  "  doings."  This  kind 
of  life,  that  would  narrow  down  and  dwarf  the  very 
soul  of  some  women,  is  to  her  a  perpetual  feast. 

The  house  is  of  the  style  of  the  farm-houses  of  that 
country — comfortable,  but  scarcely  presenting  the  sur- 
roundings in  which  one  would  expect  to  find  Olive 
Schreiner.  It  is  impossible  at  such  distant  points  to 
procure  the  furnishings  and  belongings  of  the  kind  of 
house  that  charms  and  quiets  the  untamed  spirit  of  a 
restless  woman.  Every  real  need  was  supplied,  and 
for  actual  comfort  nothing  was  wanting,  but  there 
were  none  of  the  luxuries  present  that  characterize 
the  modern  household.  This  was  one  of  the  penal- 
ties of  living  in  the  "wilds  of  Africa,"  for  such  this 
great  farm — with  ten  thousand  acres — seemed.  On 
one  hand  the  high,  barren,  ugly  hills,  which  form  on§ 


278  AFRICA. 

of  the  fascinations  of  the  place  for  Mrs.  Schreiner, 
shut  out  the  view.  On  the  other,  is  Fish  river,  usu- 
ally dry.  Beyond  this  stretches  the  great  "karroo," 
wild,  vast  and  awful,  over  which  the  wind  sighs  like 
a  symbol  of  endless  sorrow.  For  months  at  a  time 
the  whole  landscape  is  parched  and  burned,  with  little 
signs  of  vegetation  ;  when  finally  this  does  appear, 
the  low  bushes  are  almost  the  color  of  the  earth  from 
which  they  spring — a  strange  gray-green  that  lends, 
if  possible,  a  more  barren  aspect  to  the  country. 

As  we  stood  in  the  door  of  her  house,  Mrs. 
Schreiner  pointed  toward  the  hills  with  great  enthu- 
siasm, told  of  the  animals  that  prowl  among  the 
bushes,  and  seemed  to  revel  in  the  beauty  (?)  of  a 
landscape  that  to  me  breathed  only  of  endless  waste. 
She  was,  if  anything,  even  more  enthusiastic  in  her 
delight  in  the  great  "karroo." 

"I  just  love  it,"  said  she,  "for  its  mighty  vast- 
ness.  I  am  filled  with  awe  when  I  look  upon  its 
almost  boundless  stretches,  spreading  over  miles  of 
uninhabited  regions.  I  have  almost  a  reverence  for 
it."  Then,  pointing  in  the  direction  which  we  then 
faced,  she  added,  "Away  over  there,  in  a  small 
house,  I  wrote  my  story  of  '  An  African  Farm ' ;  it 
was  the  majesty  of  the  almost  limitless  '  karroo  '  that 
gave  me  my  inspiration." 

I  did  not  discuss  the  theology  or  social  features  of 
the  book,  which  I  fully  intended  to  do,  for  she  talked 
on  about  the  country  and  of  things  generally  in 
which  she  is  so  well  informed,  that  time  wore  apace, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  depart  without  haying  gained 


Fish  River,  Schreiner  Farm. 


AFRICA.  281 

the  information  whether  or  not  the  book  expressed 
her  own  personal  views.  Later  I  was  told  that  she 
was  but  nineteen  years  of  age  when  this  remarkable 
production  was  brought  out.  It  is  said  that  from  her 
publishers  she  received  the  small  amount  of  fourteen 
pounds,  to  which,  however,  they  added  large  sums 
when  the  book  proved  such  an  astonishing  success. 

The  next  in  interest  was  "  Olive  Schreiner's  hus- 
band," as  he  is  generally  called  in  South  Africa. 
Mr.  Schreiner,  previous  to  his  marriage  with  Olive, 
was  a  Mr.  Conwright  ;  but  finding  his  wife  unwilling 
to  give  up  a  name  that  had  become  known  through- 
out the  world,  he  took  hers  ;  a  proceeding  made  easy 
in  that  country  by  simply  announcing  in  the  papers 
for  a  certain  time  that  after  such  a  date  Mr.  John 
Smith  will  be  known  as  Mr.  John  Smith  Brown,  or 
Green,  as  the  case  may  be.  Numerous  criticisms 
have  been  passed  pro  and  con  on  his  unusual  course, 
and  I  venture  to  say  that  sentiment  generally  is  much 
against  a  man  "losing  his  identity  in  his  wife's 
name,"  as  a  number  have  expressed  it.  However, 
I  found  Mr.  Schreiner  just  the  sort  of  a  man  one 
would  expect  Olive  Schreiner  to  marry,  and  it  was 
most  amusing  to  hear  her  tell,  in  her  bright,  spark- 
ling way,  how  they  became  engaged — sometimes  hav- 
ing a  good-natured  laugh  at  her  husband's  expense. 

Mr.  Schreiner  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance,  some- 
what older  than  his  wife,  and,  it  is  said  by  those  who 
should  know,  one  of  the  rising  statesmen  of  South 
Africa.  Being  indigenous  to  the  country  (he  has 
never  been  out  of  it),  he  is  deeply  interested  in  all 


282  AFRICA. 

social  and  political  questions,  and  especially  those  per- 
taining to  the  welfare  of  the  natives,  for  whom  he  ex- 
pressed a  great  fondness.  His  power  as  a  writer  on 
local  subjects,  and  his  unusual  platform  ability,  will 
doubtless  place  him  where  both  gifts  will  tell  in  the 
interests  of  the  people.  Previous  to  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Schreiner  lived  a  bachelor  life  on  his  farm  for 
some  years.  During  this  time  he  gathered  about  him 
a  large  number  of  native  servants,  both  Hottentots 
and  Kaffirs.  These  became  servants  indeed,  for  it  is 
not  overstating  it  to  say  that  many  of  them  would 
have  given  their  lives  for  him,  if  necessary.  When  I 
was  there  the  Schreiners  were  about  to  leave  the  farm, 
and  Mr.  Schreiner' s  greatest  grief  seemed  to  be  that 
he  must  part  with  his  servants.  The  place  is  very 
extensive,  and  is  principally  a  stock  farm  ;  that  is,  if 
the  ostrich  can  be  classified  under  the  head  of  stock. 
Over  this  wild-looking  place  some  hundreds  of  these 
birds  of  the  desert  roam  at  large,  and  scarcely  know 
that  a  barbed  wire  fence  keeps  them  within  its  con- 
fines. 


CHAPTKR  IV. 

A  RAMBLE  OVER    THE   SCHREINER   HOMESTEAD. 

|E  SPENT  some  hours  rambling  over  the 
farm.  Mr.  Schreiner  (a  kodak  strapped  to 
his  back)  and  myself,  with  a  Hottentot  at- 
tendant, started  out  to  see  the  ostriches  and  have  a 
snap  shot  at  some  of  them.  The  habits  of  these 
ungainly  birds  are  most  interesting.  They  can  never 
be  tamed,  and  it  is  very  dangerous  to  go  within 
reach  of  the  ugly  feet  and  legs  that  possess  so  much 
strength.  As  we  approached  the  breeding-yards  the 
birds  took  flight  at  the  appearance  of  a  stranger, 
and  started  on  a  wild  run,  in  which  even  a  horse 
could  not  have  overtaken  them,  so  fleet  of  movement 
were  they.  Nature  has  provided  them  with  special 
means  of  swiftness  in  the  tail  and  wing  feathers, 
and  as  they  increase  their  speed  these  are  spread  like 
small  sails,  presenting  an  amusing  appearance.  The 
movement  of  their  legs  is  wholly  lost  sight  of,  and 
they  have  the  appearance  of  skimming  along  with- 
out effort.  The  birds  when  enraged  are  savage  and 
dangerous,  and  a  more  blood-curdling  sight  could 
not  be  witnessed  than  that  of  an  encounter  with 
these  vicious  creatures. 

With   the    aid   of    the    Hottentot,    Mr.    Schreiner 
caught  an  old  bird  and  held  it  while  I  plucked  a 

283 


284  AFRICA. 

few  feathers.  The  poor  thing  kicked,  struggled  and 
floundered  around,  and  when  liberated  soon  put  good 
distance  between  us.  The  hen  bird  is  most  savage 
when  sitting,  and  if  disturbed  gives  fair  warning  to 
the  intruder.  In  some  marvelous  manner  the  long 
neck,  which  can  be  lengthened  to  some  feet,  is  drawn 
down  to  the  body  and  only  the  head  appears  from 
amid  a  frill  of  feathers  that  fairly  stand  on  end.  To 
give  vent  to  her  displeasure  she  opens  wide  her 
mouth,  and  thunders  forth  her  rage  in  volumes  of 
sound  that  fall  upon  the  ear  like  the  roaring  of  a 
wild  bull.  It  is  wonderful,  the  special  gifts  that 
nature  has  bestowed  upon  the  female '  portion  of  all 
creation — they  can  at  least  make  a  noise.  On  the 
principle  of  "equal  division  of  labor,"  both  birds 
sit  in  turn  to  bring  out  the  young. 

In  strolling  about  I  came  upon  a  nest  of  eggs,  and 
saw  how  the  sand  had  been  scratched  to  make  a  hol- 
low in  which  to  deposit  the  great  white  balls  that 
later  on  would  be  transformed  into  life.  The  gray 
bird,  which  is  the  female,  has  less  plumage  than  the 
male,  and  sits  in  the  day  ;  being  the  same  color  as 
the  grass  in  which  her  nest  is  made,  she  remains 
unseen,  and  as  the  day  grows  old  the  male  bird, 
whose  color  mingles  with  the  surrounding  darkness, 
hovers  over  the  eggs  until  returning  light.  When 
the  ostriches  are  partly  grown  they  are  at  their  ugliest 
stage.  Numbers  are  placed  in  a  small  inclosure,  the 
walls  just  high  enough  to  keep  them  within  ;  at  the 
slightest  sound  they  poke  their  long  necks  over  the 
wall,  perhaps  fifty  in  a  row,  with  no  part  of  their 


Discovering  a  Nest  of  Ostricli  Eggs. 


AFRICA.  287 

bodies  in  sight,  but  a  yard  or  two  of  neck  bobbing 
up  and  down  as  they  try  to  take  in  the  situation. 
According  to  modern  methods  most  of  the  chicks  are 
brought  out  in  an  incubator. 

To  the  hatching-room  we  proceeded  to  inspect  the 
process  of  eggs  ' '  evoluting  ' '  into  chicks.  The  eggs 
were  deposited  in  long  drawers,  and  uniform  heat  was 
maintained  by  the  aid  of  a  lamp.  "  In  this  drawer," 
said  Mr.  Schreiner,  as  he  pulled  out  the  one  nearest 
the  floor,  "  they  must  be  almost  ready  to  come  out." 
Sure  enough,  there  they  were  struggling  with  a  heavy 
shell,  trying  to  clear  themselves  of  the  bits  that 
seemed  to  cling  so  fondly  to  these  little  ugly  creat- 
ures. One,  with  more  determination  than  the  rest, 
stood  up,  shook  the  few  fragments  of  shell  from  his 
down,  and  started  ofif  with  the  independence  of  a 
Yankee  going  to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July.  In 
this  early  stage  of  life  they  seem  all  head  and  feet, 
their  two  great,  ugly  toes  being  the  most  prominent 
feature.  The  breast  is  a  pretty  fawn  color,  but  the 
back  is  covered  with  quills  which  turn  the  wrong 
way,  very  similar  to  porcupine  quills  when  raised. 
When  removed  from  place  to  place  they  are  carried 
by  the  neck,  which  seems  most  cruel,  but  in  no  way 
injures  them.  When  grown  the  birds  are  plucked 
every  eight  months.  Many  have  written  at  length 
of  the  cruelty  of  plucking  the  ostrich,  and  some 
humane  and  well-disposed  persons  have  passed  reso- 
lutions and  pledged  themselves  not  to  wear  the  plum- 
age when,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  birds  suffer  no  more 
than  we  would  in   having  our   hair  cut.     They  are 


288  AFRICA. 

herded  into  a  pen,  a  sack  is  placed  over  their  heads, 
and  the  plumes  are  cut  off,  leaving  the  stumps  of  the 
quills  on  the  body.  These  are  shed  in  molting  sea- 
son, just  as  the  feathers  would  be  if  allowed  to 
remain.  The  eggs  are  of  great  size,  and  the  weight 
surprising.  The  shell,  when  opened  and  the  inside 
removed,  will  hold  the  contents  of  eighteen  hen  eggs. 
Ostrich  eggs  are  sometimes  used  for  table  purposes  ; 
they  are  usually  made  into  omelets,  one  <ig%,  being 
sufficient  for  a  meal  for  a  whole  family.  Having  a 
desire  to  sample  this  ovicular  delicacy  to  see  what  it 
might  be  like,  Mrs.  Schreiner  boiled  one  for  sand- 
wiches to  be  taken  on  my  journey  ;  she  put  it  on  to 
cook  in  the  morning,  and  when  it  had  boiled  for 
nearly  an  hour  it  was  considered  well  done. 

Mrs.  Schreiner  is  not  especially  fond  of  the  ostrich, 
but  the  hundreds  of  Cashmere  goats  and  Persian 
sheep  on  the  farm  have  in  her  a  true  friend.  I  hava 
rarely  seen  a  prettier  sight  than  this  happy  husband 
and  wife  counting  the  goats  when  they  come  home  at 
night.  They  are  valuable  for  their  long,  pretty  silk 
wool,  which  hangs  almost  to  the  ground.  The  sheep 
are  raised  for  the  table  and  market.  Of  the  goats 
there  were  a  large  number.  The  native  shepherds 
brought  them  from  the  hillsides  where  they  had  been 
feeding  during  the  day,  and  they  all  huddled  together 
near  the  gate  of  the  inclosure  where  they  were  to 
spend  the  night.  Mr.  Schreiner  stepped  over  the 
fence,  opened  the  gate,  and  the  goats  began  to  file  in, 
as  if  each  understood  that  he  must  not  enter  until  the 
one  before  him  had  been  counted.     The  Persian  sheep 


AFRICA.  291 

are  kept  separate.  They  are  most  peculiar  in  appear- 
ance, with  long,  white  bodies,  closely  clipped  wool 
and  black  heads.  They  scramble,  uncounted,  into 
their  place  of  shelter,  and  little  interest  is  taken  in 
them. 

Some  have  asked,  "What  will  be  the  eflfect  of 
Olive  Schreiner's  marriage ;  will  her  genius  and 
identity  be  lost  in  that  of  her  husband?"  No,  I 
should  say  not.  She  will  always  be  Olive  Schreiner. 
Her  individuality  is  too  marked  and  strong  to  be  lost 
in  anyone.  The  same  elements  that  gave  her  the 
courage  to  dip  her  pen  in  a  new  color  of  ink,  as  it 
were,  and  give  her  convictions  to  the  world — which 
were  only  new  in  so  far  that  she  was  brave  enough 
to  write  them — these  elements  will  always  maintain 
for  her  a  striking  personality ;  and  Mr.  Schreiner 
is  himself  so  strong  a  character  that  he  has  no  need 
of  his  wife's  personality  to  add  to  his  strength. 

Another  question  often  asked  is,  ' '  What  about  her 
husband  taking  her  name?"  In  these  days  when 
there  is  divided  opinion  on  all  points  that  pertain  to 
the  "  doings  "  of  women,  this  question  will  be  an- 
swered according  to  the  ' '  evoluted ' '  thought  of  the 
inquirer.  From  the  expressions  of  opinion  I  gath- 
ered while  in  that  country,  I  should  say  that  Mr. 
Schreiner's  example  would  be  somewhat  disastrous 
to  the  general  ' '  run  ' '  of  men  ;  but  Mr.  Schreiner, 
happily,  is  a  man  strong  enough  to  carry  his  wife's 
name.  All  men  are  not.  The  weight  would  carry 
some  down  to  oblivion,  or  if  they  lived  at  all  it  would 


292  AFRICA. 

be  in  the  reflected  light  from  a  woman,  which  always 
casts  a  rather  sickly  irradiation  upon  a  man.  The 
conviction  grows  upon  me  that  the  less  pronounced 
gifted  women  can  be  in  winning  their  way  to  the  sure 
footing  intended  for  them  by  nature  and  God,  the 
more  rapid  will  be  their  progress  toward  that  goal. 

My  visit  to  this  home  will  ever  be  remembered  with 
delight. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OLIVE  schreiner's  mother. 

|S  DAY  was  slowly  dying  from  the  sky  we 
drove  to  the  railway  station,  some  few 
miles  distant,  and  I  boarded  the  train  go- 
ing southward,  intending  to  visit  the  town  where 
Mrs.  Schreiner's  mother  has  so  long  lived.  The 
train  was  cold,  and  great  was  my  discomfort. 
Through  the  dark,  moonless  night  I  waited  for  the 
dawn,  which  would  bring  me  beyond  these  plains 
where  the  wind  sighed  like  the  restless  ocean  upon 
the  shore. 

Morning  found  me  in  a  small  city  by  the  sea, 
nestled  at  the  foot  of  the  hills.  The  weird  desert 
was  far  behind  ;  the  damp  air  and  the  mists  from  the 
sea  had  been  distilled  into  dew,  which  watered  the 
parched  earth  and  dried  roots,  giving  new  life  to  all 
around. 

I  had  come  to  this  place  especially  to  see  Olive 
Schreiner's  mother,  of  whom  her  daughter  had 
spoken  much.  "My  mother,"  she  had  said,  "has 
been  converted  to  the  Roman  faith,  and  you  will  find 
her  in  the  convent. ' ' 

Toward  the  convent  I  set  my  face,  and  reached  the 
great  iron  gates  and  high  walls  just  as  the  day  pupils 
were  leaving  school.     Following  the  directions  given, 


294  AFRICA. 

I  soon  reached  the  house  in  which  lives  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  women  of  her  age  I  have  ever 
known.  The  door  was  opened  by  Mrs.  Schreiner 
herself,  and  I  found  it  almost  impossible  to  believe 
that  eighty-seven  years  had  swept  over  her  head.  I 
was  ushered  into  a  room,  the  walls  of  which  were 
completely  covered  with  pictures,  most  of  them  relat- 
ing to  her  religious  faith.  The  house  is  small,  for 
she  lives  alone  and  is  very  active.  Her  domestic 
duties  are  but  a  recreation  to  her.  A  look  into  her 
face  told  me  where  Olive  had  got  her  bright  eyes, 
that  are  such  a  charm,  and  a  few  moments'  conversa- 
tion told  me  through  whom  Mother  Nature  had  be- 
stowed such  marvelous  conversational  powers  upon 
Olive  Schreiner.  For  fourteen  years  Mrs.  Schreiner 
has  lived  alone,  and  twice  only  has  ventured  beyond 
the  great  gates  in  that  time.  I  was  surprised,  find- 
ing her  so  shut  away,  to  learn  how  thoroughly  she 
was  informed  on  matters  of  interest  in  the  outside 
world;  but  she  "  keeps  up  with  the  times"  through 
the  medium  of  all  kinds  of  papers  and  periodicals. 
Being  deeply  interested  in  all  good  work,  she  spends 
much  time  in  prayer  for  the  success  of  old  reforms. 
In  motherly  tones  she  said  : 

' '  Yes,  child,  I  remember  well  when  you  started  on 
your  mission,  and  thought  you  young  to  go  out  into 
the  great  cruel  world  from  which  I  was  so  glad  to  be 
sheltered." 

Knowing  the  religious  views  of  other  members  of 
her  family,  I  wanted  much  to  learn  how  she  became 
a  Roman  Catholic ;  so  I  ventured  to  say  : 


AFRICA.  295 

"  Mrs.  Schreiner,  do  you  mind  telling  me  how  you 
became  interested  in  the  Roman  faith  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  mind  in  the  least." 

Then  I  drew  forth  my  ever-present  note-book  and 
recorded  most  of  what  she  said, 

"My  husband,"  began  Mrs.  Schreiner,  "was  a 
Dutch  missionary  greatly  devoted  to  his  work,  and 
deeply  interested  in  the  natives.  During  our  married 
life  three  sons  and  two  daughters  were  given  us — my 
son  in  England  ;  the  one  in  the  government  ;  Theo., 
the  temperance  lecturer ;  Mrs.  lycwis,  who  has  not 
long  been  married ;  and  my  Olive.  All  these  are 
living  and  are  children  of  whom  I  am  proud — not  a 
black  sheep  among  them." 

The  sweet  gratitude  with  which  she  expressed  this 
fact  was  delightful  to  see,  for  with  the  sun  of  her  last 
days  flooding  her  path,  truly  it  must  be  a  blessing  to 
look  upon  a  family  of  men  and  women  grown,  and  see 
them  filling  places  of  honor  in  the  world. 

"Well,"  continued  she,  "my  husband  died,  the 
children  were  away,  and  I  broke  up  the  home  and 
went  to  live  with  a  friend."  Here,  with  moistened 
eyes  and  a  trembling  in  her  voice,  she  spoke  feelingly 
upon  the  sacred  theme  of  friendship. 

"  In  that  hour  of  sorrow,  when  the  husband  of  all 
these  years  had  gone  before  me  and  left  me  with  a 
longing  heart  and  empty  life,  the  refuge  of  a  sweet 
friendship  was  in  a  great  measure  a  compensation. 
To  this  friend  I  confided  everything.  There  was  not 
an  act  of  my  life,  thought  of  my  heart,  or  longing  of 
my  soul  that  I  did  not  tell  her.     We  were  knit  to- 


296  AFRICA. 

gether  as  were  the  souls  of  David  and  Jonathan. 
When  a  friend  is  wound  and  bound  about  the  heart 
till  the  fibers  of  one  life  can  scarcely  be  separated 
from  those  of  the  other,  and  in  each  there  seems  a 
consciousness  of  the  absolute  need  of  the  other,  that 
happy  state  is  as  near  bliss  as  we  shall  arrive  in  this 
world.  Often  and  often  I  have  blessed  heaven  for 
the  sweetness  of  a  pure  friendship.  But  when  the 
loss  of  my  husband  seemed  most  severe,  there  came 
the  darkest  hour  of  my  life ;  my  friend  proved  un- 
faithful, and  in  one  day  I  was  robbed  of  what  was 
more  than  life  to  me.  Sad  of  heart  and  heavy  of 
spirit,  I  lost  faith  in  man  and  God.  I  believed  in 
nothing,  and  life  had  little  charm  for  me.  In  this 
frame  of  mind  I  accepted  an  invitation  to  spend  a  few 
days  with  a  friend  whom  I  had  long  known.  Glad  to 
escape  from  the  heart-burnings  that  made  life  a  bur- 
den, I  went  to  spend  Christmas-tide  with  her.  My 
friend  belonged  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  without 
knowing  my  frame  of  mind  she  invited  me  to  the 
Christmas  service.  The  sweet  music  attracted  me, 
and  I  went  from  time  to  time,  until  I  became  inter- 
ested in  the  faith  of  the  church.  The  priest  visited 
me  often  ;  I  studied  the  Bible,  and  was  at  last 
brought  to  light  through  the  teaching  of  the 
Roman   Catholic   church." 

Here  she  looked  me  in  the  face,  and  with  an  in- 
tense earnestness  said,  "And,  child,  I  have  found 
the  true  religion.  These  are  the  happiest  days  of 
my  whole  life."  She  spoke  with  tender  affection  of 
the  religious  belief  of  her  children  and  concluded  by 


AFRICA.  297 

saying,  "That,  perhaps,  is  the  religion  for  them,  but 
this  is  the  religion  for  me." 

There  was  something  sweetly  pathetic  about  the 
life  of  this  devoted  woman,  who  at  her  advanced  age 
retains  all  her  faculties  and  a  full  interest  in  the 
world  and,  most  surprising  of  all,  picks  up  a  news- 
paper of  ordinary  print  and  reads  it  oflf  without 
glasses.  Mrs.  Schreiner  asks  nothing  greater  than 
that  she  may  live  and  die  in  the  faith  to  which  she 
is  so  strongly  attached. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THEO.  SCHREINER   AND   HIS  SISTER,  MRS.  LEWIS. 

[N  undertaking  a  journey  of.  long  distance, 
the  fatigue  was  so  great  that  I  stopped  oflF  at 
a  small  town  to  rest  for  the  night.  In  the 
local  papers  I  read  that  Mr.  Theo.  Schreiner,  who 
had  been  holding  wonderful  temperance  meetings  at 
a  point  near  by,  would  reach  town  the  following  morn- 
ing. Here  was  an  unexpected  opportunity  to  meet 
another  member  of  the  family  of  whom  I  had  heard 
so  much.  My  departure  was  delayed  to  await  his 
arrival.  When  his  card  was  sent  up  I  went  down  to 
meet  him,  full  of  expectation  as  to  what  this  particu- 
lar Mr.  Schreiner  might  be  like.  As  I  entered,  he 
rose  and  greeted  me  in  a  warm,  friendl}'  way.  We 
had  each  read  much  of  the  other,  and  we  felt  that  we 
were  by  no  means  strangers.  There  stood  before  me 
a  fine-looking  man,  who  bore  little  resemblance  to  his 
sister  Olive.  About  the  average  height,  with  thick 
light  hair,  and  beard  to  match,  and  large  blue  eyes, 
he  certainly  looked  a  splendid  specimen  of  an  Afri- 
cana.  Mr.  Schreiner's  special  gift  lies  in  his  unusual 
platform  ability.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  finest 
speakers  in  the  country.  He  has  utilized  his  gift  of 
eloquence   in   the   interest  of  reform,  and   for  many 

many  years  has  gone  up  and  down  the  land,  among 

298 


AFRICA.  299 

the  Boers,  speaking  on  all  subjects  for  the  betterment 
of  the  people.  He  can  discourse  in  Dutch  like  a 
Hollander,  and  his  special  theme  is  gospel  temper- 
ance. 

When  I  was  about  to  start  for  the  station,  he  pro- 
posed that  we  go  early  enough  to  drive  around  the 
town.  It  was  a  small  place,  and  very  little  time 
would  suflSce  to  see  the  "sights."  The  object  of 
greatest  interest  was  a  monument,  the  like  of  which 
the  world  has  never  seen.  It  is  usually  supposed  that 
monuments  stand  to  do  honor  to  the  valiant  deeds  of 
some  great  hero,  but  this  was  by  no  means  the  object 
of  the  granite  column  that  arrested  my  attention  as 
we  drove  along.  Some  time  ago  it  was  decided  that 
the  English  tongue  should  be  the  language  of  Parlia- 
ment ;  no  one  would  be  eligible  for  Parliament  who 
did  not  speak  both  English  and  Dutch,  but  English 
was  to  be  the  recognized  language.  This  was  greatly 
lamented  by  the  Boer,  who  vainly  supposed  his  lan- 
guage to  be  that  of  heaven.  It  is  never  defamed  by 
using  its  strongest  adjectives  ;  hence  a  Boer  reads  his 
Bible  and  prays  in  high  Dutch,  but  does  all  his  swear- 
ing in  low  Dutch.  Believing  it  to  be  the  language 
used  in  calling  the  world  into  being,  and  having  a  rev- 
erence for  it  second  only  to  that  for  the  Most  High,  it 
was  a  great  grief  to  see  it  crushed  to  earth  with  one 
fell  swoop,  and  know  that  its  musical  accents  would 
no  longer  enter  into  the  laws  of  the  land.  This  event, 
therefore,  called  forth  the  patriotism  of  the  Boer, 
who  expressed  it  by  the  erection  of  this  monument. 

-"  Would  you  like  to  read  the  inscriptions  ?  "  asked 


300  AFRICA. 

Mr.  Schreiner.  Being  a  Yankee,  I  felt  I  could  invest 
my  time  to  greater  profit  even  in  Africa  then  sitting 
down  to  decipher  the  hieroglyphics  on  a  tombstone 
put  up  to  a  dead  language  ;  so  we  drove  on  to  meet 
the  train. 

Some  days  later,  my  line  of  travel  took  me  to  Kim- 
berley,  the  home  of  Mrs.  Staksby  Lewis,  the  oldest 
sister  of  Olive  Schreiner,  and  wholly  unlike  her  in 
every  possible  way.  Low  of  stature  and  very  stout, 
with  a  somewhat  strained  voice  from  long  public 
speaking,  she  had  the  appearance  of  a  home-body  in- 
stead of  a  platform  woman.  Long  ago  Mrs.  Lewis 
associated  herself  with  temperance  reform,  and  de- 
voted her  unbounded  energies  to  the  Good  Templars, 
who  are  still  wont  to  call  her  "  Sister  Schreiner,"  not- 
withstanding her  little  flock  of  nine,  none  of  whom 
belong  to  her,  however. 

Upon  the  death  of  a  relative,  or  friend,  I  do  not 
recollect  which,  Mrs.  Lewis  (then  Miss  Schreiner) 
adopted  four  children.  As  she  went  from  place  to 
place  speaking,  sometimes  many  consecutive  nights, 
"  her  children  "  were  always  with  her,  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  her  public  duties,  she  seemed  to  find  time  to 
instruct  and  train  them.  During  her  travels  Miss 
Schreiner  met  Mr.  Staksby  Lewis,  a  widower  with 
five  children,  most  of  whom  were  well  grown.  For 
some  years  she  considered  his  proposal  of  marriage  ; 
finally,  it  seemed  to  be  the  call  of  duty,  and  she 
settled  down  to  the  domestic  cares  that  come  to  a 
woman  who  undertakes  to  mother  nine  children  of 
two  different  families,  none  of  them  her  own. 


AFRICA.  301 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  friendly,  quiet  man  of  sterling 
worth,  and  wholly  devoted  to  his  wife  and  family. 
Mrs.  Lewis  is  of  an  intense  religious  nature,  her 
special  belief  being  "  faith  healing,"  a  doctrine  to  the 
study  of  which  she  has  devoted  much  time.  The 
earnestness  of  her  platform  utterances  has  won  many 
converts  to  that  live  train  of  thought. 

Of  the  Schreiner  family  there  remain  only  two — 
brothers — of  whom  I  have  not  spoken.  One  has 
long  been  associated  with  the  government  of  South 
Africa,  and  the  other  took  up  his  residence  in  England 
some  time  ago  where  he  leads  a  less  public  life. 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  JAPANESE   FUNERAL. 

|HE  ordinary  individual  is  destined  to  attract 
attention  at  least  twice,  and  often  thrice, 
before  he  forever  disappears  from  the  active 
scenes  of  this  world.  The  most  important  event  of 
life,  one's  birth,  calls  forth  less  interest  than  the  two 
events  which  follow — the  wedding  and  the  funeral. 
For  the  latter  greater  preparations  are  generally  made 
and  a  more  wide-spread  interest  is  taken.  When  the 
wee  babe  first  opens  its  eyes  and  the  announcement 
goes  forth,  "  Unto  us  a  son  is  born,"  or  "a  daughter 
is  given,"  the  fact  is  quietly  recorded  and  usually 
forgotten  by  all  beyond  the  sound  of  the  voice  of  the 
new-comer.  But  when  a  wedding  is  on  the  boards, 
interest  deepens,  whole  neighborhoods  and  even  cities 
become  awakened,  and  crowds  gather  to  see  "  what 
the  bride's  dress  is  like";  and  thus,  amid  the  vulgar 
stare  of  the  throng,  a  sweet,  blushing  maiden  becomes 
the  object  of  curiosity,  criticism  and  comment.  To 
my  mind  it  is  far  worse  than  are  some  of  the  customs 
we  are  wont  to  call  "  heathen."     When  the  wedding 

303 


304  ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

is  over,  and,  finally,  the  lengthened  or  shortened 
thread  of  life  is  broken,  the  funeral  attracts  the 
crowds  ;  many  who  never  spoke  a  kindly  word  of 
the  dead  bring  forth  their  garlands  fair  to  deck  the 
coffin,  or  to  wilt  and  fade  upon  the  grave ;  and  in  the 
dying  of  their  fragrance  and  beauty  they  carry  with 
tliein,  perhaps,  the  last  thought  of  the  one  gone 
before. 

In  studying  the  customs  of  the  people  of  the  world, 
I  was  deeply  interested  in  comparing  the  funeral  and 
wedding  ceremonies  of  Asia  with  those  of  Christian 
lands ;  but  it  is  of  funerals  only  that  I  can  here  find 
time  to  speak.  As  the  customs  vary  so  greatly,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  describe  them  all ;  it  is  there- 
fore necessary  to  confine  myself  to  the  extent  of  my 
own  observations. 

Soon  after  landing  in  the  city  of  Yokohama,  Japan, 
I  was  told  that  a  wealthy  and  noted  native  had  died, 
and  his  funeral  would  take  place  the  following  Sun- 
day in  one  of  the  great  temples.  As  we  went  out 
into  the  streets  on  that  day,  it  was  an  easy  matter  to 
find  the  place  of  the  obsequies  by  following  the 
crowds,  for  the  streets  were  teeming  with  people,  all 
flocking  to  honor  the  dead.  After  a  long  walk  we 
reached  the  avenue  that  led  to  the  temple,  which 
stood  at  the  top  of  the  street.  The  roads  to  the  right 
and  to  the  left  were  thronged  with  some  fifty  thou- 
sand people.  The  short  avenue  in  front  of  the  temple 
was  kept  clear  for  the  funeral  procession.  As  a  spe- 
cial favor  I  was  allowed  to  walk  down  the  avenue  ; 
otherwise  I  would  have  been  unable  to  reach  the  tern- 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES.  305 

pie,  for  the  crowds  were  so  great.  The  whole  street 
was  lined  with  floral  decorations,  in  which  the  Japa- 
nese greatly  excel.  I^arge  trees,  planted  in  tubs,  were 
placed  a  few  feet  on  each  side,  and  extended  from  the 
beginning  of  the  avenue  to  the  very  temple  door. 
Many  kinds  of  flowers  were  arranged  in  the  branches 
of  these  trees  to  give  them  the  appearance  of  bloom- 
ing shrubs.  We  were  escorted  up  the  walk  by  two 
native  policemen  ;  reaching  the  temple  we  found  a 
heavy  rope  stretched  across  the  great  steps  to  keep 
the  crowds  back.  The  policemen  explained  that  we 
were  strangers  and  anxious  to  go  into  the  service, 
and  the  guards  kindly  allowed  us  to  enter. 

The  temple  was  constructed  after  the  manner  of  the 
architecture  of  that  country,  with  an  open  front,  so 
that  all  proceedings  could  be  witnessed  from  the  street. 
The  usual  lack  of  order  and  solemnity  prevailed ;  for 
nowhere  in  the  east  can  be  found  decorum  at  worship, 
funerals,  weddings  or  other  functions  which  we  re- 
gard as  sacred  and  carry  on  with  more  or  less  system. 
At  one  side  stood  the  coffin,  which  was  in  the  form  of 
a  miniature  temple,  resting  on  a  bier.  This  small 
temple  was  made  of  some  kind  of  white  spruce,  beau- 
tifully carved,  but  without  polish  or  finish.  The 
pointed  eaves  extended  over  the  sides,  and  beneath 
them  were  small  carved  windows,  draped  with  white 
lace  curtains  and  lined  with  pale  blue.  The  whole 
"casket "  had  more  or  less  carved  open  work  upon  it. 
Near  the  coffin  stood  a  band  of  musicians  dressed  in 
foreign  uniform.  They  wore  dark  blue  trousers,  red 
coats,   and  played  on  foreign  instruments.     On  the 


3o6  ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

other  side  of  the  room  stood  the  relatives  and  inti- 
mate friends,  distributing  presents ;  this  is  a  general 
custom  among  the  wealthy  or  upper  classes.  The 
presents  usually  consist  of  sweets  made  from  rice 
flour  and  sugar,  and  fashioned  after  the  lotus  blossom 
and  leaf.  In  the  center  of  the  room  sat  numbers  of 
priests  clothed  in  black  gauze,  reading  or  chanting  a 
sort  of  dirge  from  their  sacred  book,  the  music  of  the 
band  almost  drowning  the  monotony  of  their  voices. 

When  this  confusing  ceremony  came  to  a  close  the 
funeral  procession  formed.  I  had  no  idea  who  the 
mourners  were,  for  none  were  weeping  or  wailing  or 
clad  in  any  kind  of  mourning-garb  ;  all  were  chatting 
away,  each  seeming  to  express  an  opinion  as  to  how 
the  proceedings  should  be  carried  on.  The  coolies, 
bearing  the  coffin,  were  dressed  in  white  garments 
with  a  white,  drooping  head  covering.  The  place  of 
burial  was  some  distance  off,  and  numbers  of  these 
coolies  formed  relays  to  relieve  each  other  at  stated 
intervals.  Those  not  in  service  at  the  moment  pre- 
ceded the  remains,  and,  behind,  came  the  pall-bearers. 
Numbers  of  ordinary  coolies  bore  the  trees  and  tubs, 
taking  them,  as  they  passed,  from  the  sides  of  the 
streets,  and  with  them  a  great  throng  moved  on  to 
the  burial-ground.  The  distance  was  too  great  to 
follow.  I  was  told  no  special  service  was  held  at  the 
grave  ;  the  remains  were  interred  in  the  most  simple 
way. 

Just  across  the  small  body  of  water  that  separates 
two  nations,  I  found  a  great  difference  in  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  people. 


CHAPTER  11. 

QUEER   WAYS   OF  SHOWING   GRIEF   IN   CHINA. 

FIRST  witnessed  a  Chinese  funeral  in  the 
streets  of  Victoria,  on  the  island  of  Hong 
Kong.  As  I  passed  along  a  strange  noise 
attracted  my  attention,  and  looking  in  the  direction 
whence  it  came  I  saw  a  large  moving  crowd,  and 
resolved  to  see  what  it  might  mean.  I  retreated 
from  the  street  to  the  steps  of  a  native  shop,  and 
there  awaited  the  advancing  throng,  which  proved 
to  be  a  Chinese  funeral.  A  long  procession,  made 
up  of  strange-looking  people,  was  headed  by  small 
boys  carrying  wooden  signs,  or  banners.  These  were 
inscribed  with  those  fiendish  hieroglyphics,  with  in- 
numerable horns  and  hoofs,  that  give  one  the  impres- 
sion that  the  language  is  of  a  warmer  climate  than 
that  of  China.  These  banners  were  carried  far  above 
the  heads  of  the  bearers,  and  the  inscriptions  were  sup- 
posed to  recount  the  virtues  of  the  dead.  Following 
the  mourners,  wailers  filed  in  line,  for  this  was  the 
funeral  of  a  well-to-do  person.  Numbers  were  hired 
to  wail  and  cry  ;  ten  or  a  dozen  were  dressed  in  white, 
with  cone-shaped  covers  made  of  white  calico  on  their 
heads  ;  these  covers  drooped  far  over  the  face,  com- 
pletely concealing  the  features.    The  mourners  formed 

in  procession,  single  file,  headed  by  one  who  continu- 

307 


3o8  ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

ally  tooted  a  tin  horn.  This  personage  was  followed 
by  one  who  lent  support  to  the  chief  mourner.  As 
thej'  marched  they  swayed  their  bodies  to  and  fro, 
and  howled,  and  moaned,  and  sobbed  ;  the  one  who 
made  the  most  noise  was  accounted  the  best  mourner, 
and  probably  received  the  largest  amount  for  his 
services.  Behind  the  mourners  the  pall- bearers  slowly 
marched,  as  if  trying  to  keep  step  with  the  loud 
wails.  The  cojB&n  was  large,  and  looked  heavy.  It 
was  flat  on  the  bottom,  oval  at  the  sides,  with  a 
curved  lid,  and  a  heavy  piece  extending  upward  from 
one  end,  which  marked  the  head,  for  it  was  the  same 
width  all  the  way  down.  Large  ropes  were  bound 
about  it  and  the  ends  were  made  fast  to  a  piece  of 
bamboo,  which  was  placed  over  the  shoulders  of  the 
men,  leaving  the  cofl&n  to  wobble  about  as  they 
marched  along. 

The  thought  of  a  bier  has  never  occurred  to  these 
people,  for  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  a  Chinaman  to 
devise  labor-saving  methods.  Behind  the  coffin  fol- 
lowed bearers  of  sweets  and  meats  to  be  placed  on 
the  grave  of  the  departed  and  consumed  at  his  leis- 
ure. A  pyramid-shaped  tier  of  shelves  were  ladened 
with  food  of  all  kinds,  including  a  whole  roast  pig,- 
fowls,  ducks,  and  many  savory  bits  seldom  tasted 
in  the  life  of  an  ordinary  Chinaman.  The  running 
and  hurrying  of  some  parts  of  the  procession  as  they 
occasionally  became  detached  from  the  other  by  rea- 
son of  the  large  crowds,  the  endless  din  of  the  noise 
they  called   "music,"   mingled  with  the  sound  of 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES,  309 

wailing  voices,  made  a  scene  of  confusion  not  easily 
described  and  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  selection  of  a  place  of  burial  is  the  chief  con- 
cern of  the  relatives,  for  much  of  the  future  staTie  of 
happiness  depends  upon  where  the  bones  of  the 
departed  rest.  Frequently  days  elapse  before  an 
auspicious  spot  -away  from  the  range  of  the  wind 
which  blows  "  bad  luck," — can  be  settled  on.  When 
a  "safe"  spot  has  been  found,  the  coffin  is  placed 
on  the  ground,  and  a  mound  of  earth  thrown  over 
it;  this  often  reaches  the  height  of  six  feet.  The 
place  is  forever  sacred,  and  must  on  no  account  be 
disturbed.  Frequently  the  graves  are  marked  by 
cutting  the  slope  from  one  side  of  the  mound  and 
building  in  some  kind  of  masonry.  At  certain  times 
of  the  year  paper  money  is  burned  before  the  grave, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  dead.  This,  however,  cannot 
be  said  to  be  the  usual  custom  of  disposing  of  the 
dead,  for  in  each  of  the  forty-two  provinces  the  na- 
tives have  their  several  superstitions  and  forms. 

In  one  of  the  northern  cities  I  saw  a  funeral  among 
the  lower  classes.  The  coffin  was  carried  in  the  man- 
ner described,  but  there  was  no  procession  beyond  the 
relatives,  and  no  extra  mourners.  The  coffin  had 
passed  before  I  caught  sight  of  it,  but  my  attention 
was  arrested  by  a  number  of  weeping  persons  riding 
on  wheelbarrows.  I  called  a  coolie  and  followed  up 
the  procession  of  six  wheelbarrows,  on  which  were 
seated  nine  weeping  women  and  three  men.  It 
never  dawned  upon  me  that  it  might  be  a  funeral. 
Wheelbarrow  travel,  which  is  the  usual  mode  in  these 


3IO  ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

parts,  was  unique,  and  the  thought  of  being  wheeled 
to  a  funeral  in  one  of  those  unsightly  conveyances 
overcame  the  solemnity  that  the  occasion  demanded, 
and  1  confess  I  overtook  that  funeral  procession  in 
a  frame  of  mind  unfit  to  offer  my  services  as  one 
of  the  hired  wallers.  The  mourners  were  chiefly 
women,  and,  being  of  the  poorer  class,  could  not 
afford  the  expense  of  white  garments  for  mourning 
apparel ;  so  their  grief  was  indicated  by  a  strip  of 
white  muslin  bound  about  the  head,  with  the  ends 
left  dangling  down.  The  grief  they  failed  to  ex- 
press by  way  of  garb  was  made  up  in  noise,  as 
they  threw  themselves  from  side  to  side,  with  many 
hairbreadth  escapes  from  landing  in  the  road.  Thus 
they  made  their  way  to  the  burying-ground  without 
their  noisy  demonstrations  of  grief  attracting  the 
least  attention  from  the  passer-by — for  the  scene  is  a 
common  one. 

In  a  town  somewhat  inland  I  met  with  a  greater 
surprise  than  that  afforded  by  the  wheelbarrow  pro- 
cession. It  was  in  a  small  village,  where  a  foreigner 
attracted  much  attention,  and  my  presence  in  the  town 
brought  out  a  great  following  as  I  went  from  house  to 
house  speaking  to  the  women.  In  one  small  house 
the  woman  invited  me  in,  more,  I  think,  to  see  what 
I  was  like  than  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say.  As  I  sat 
perched  upon  a  saw-horse,  a  common  seat  among  the 
poor,  I  saw  a  very  rude  coffin  against  the  wall  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  room.  When  the  crowds  of  men 
and  women  pushed  in,  several  seated  themselves  upon 
the  coffin,  and  almost  sat  upon  each  other  as  they 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES.  313 

tried  to  make  room  for  one  more.  The  thought  came 
to  me  that  probably  they  had  purchased  it  at  "a  bar- 
gain," and  were  keeping  it  in  readiness,  thinking,  at 
the  same  time,  that  it  would  serve  as  a  warning  of 
our  "common  end"  ;  but  it  was  only  my  Yankee 
proclivities  that  led  me  to  such  conjectures.  It  was 
the  custom  in  those  parts  whenever  the  husband  or 
the  wife  died,  to  embalm  the  remains  and  keep  the 
coflSn  in  the  house  until  the  death  of  the  other,  and, 
finally,  bury  them  together.  The  husband  of  this 
family  had  been  dead  seven  years,  and  the  coffin  had 
been  in  the  house  all  the  time  ! 

Before  leaving  the  town  I  returned  to  say  a  last 
word  to  the  woman,  thank  her  for  her  kindness,  and 
leave  a  copy  of  the  Bible  in  her  language.  I  did  not 
enter,  but  stood  in  the  doorway  a  sufficient  time  to 
make  mental  notes  of  the  scene  before  me.  On  the 
coffin  sat  a  young  child  eating  rice  from  a  bowl  with 
its  hands.  An  old  hen  and  her  brood  of  chicks  had 
come  into  the  house  (a  way  they  have  in  that  coun- 
try), and,  being  on  familiar  terms  with  the  child,  had 
hopped  up  on  the  coffin  and  helped  herself  to  a 
mouthful  of  rice,  which  she  threw  to  the  floor  in 
small  particles,  and,  in  hen  language,  called  the  little 
ones  to  partake  of  the  feast.  The  child  was  willing 
to  share  the  rice  with  this  wise  fowl,  and  seemed 
rather  pleased  at  the  familiar  relations  existing  be- 
tween them.  Considering  the  many  uses  to  which 
these  coffins  are  put,  perhaps  the  custom  forms  part 
of  the  domestic  economy  of  the  people. 


314  ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

The  most  shocking  thing  in  China,  to  a  person 
from  the  West,  is  the  sight  of  great  numbers  of  the 
unburied  dead  in  some  of  the  fields.  This  is  espe- 
cially the  case  in  the  vicinity  of  Shanghai.  Such  a 
state  of  afiairs  must  be  very  much  against  the  laws 
of  health.  Driving  along  one  of  the  chief  boule- 
vards just  out  of  the  city,  I  noticed  scores  of  coffins 
of  all  sizes  unburied,  and  upon  inquiry  found  that 
there  were  several  reasons  for  this  unusual  sight. 
Many  people  die  whose  relatives  are  too  poor  to  pur- 
chase a  grave  ;  in  such  case  no  provision  is  made  for 
burial  by  the  authorities,  but  the  dead  are  embalmed 
and  the  coffin  placed  in  the  open  field.  This  is  the 
principal  reason  for  so  many  remaining  uninterred. 
In  other  places,  large  tracts  of  land  have  been  given 
for  the  burial  of  the  dead  ;  these  have  become  over- 
crowded, and  the  coffins  have  been  taken  out  and  set 
against  the  mounds  and  left  there.  Other  tracts  in 
the  vicinity  could  not  be  given  for  such  purposes, 
for  every  foot  of  productive  land  in  China  is  utilized 
in  producing  rice  for  the  support  of  the  millions. 
Think  of  a  country  so  densely  populated  that  there 
is  no  room  in  it  to  bury  their  dead  ! 

I  was  told  that  cremation  was  the  usual  custom 
of  disposing  of  the  dead  in  some  parts  of  the  empire, 
but  in  no  place  did  I  see  it  practiced.  After  seeing 
the  great  numbers  of  unburied,  I  thought  it  would  be 
a  blessing  to  China  if  cremation  were  adopted  as  the 
universal  rule.  Many  regard  the  process  of  burning 
as  the  highest  expression  of  all  heartlessness.  We 
come  to  have  almost  a  reverence  for  these  shells  of 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES.  315 

ours,  made  up  of  perishable  matter.  A  departure 
from  the  usual  line  seems  to  shock  the  average  per- 
son. As  we  become  more  enlightened,  we  shall 
probably  learn  that  the  welfare  of  the  living  is  an 
object  of  greater  concern  than  the  final  disposition 
of  that  portion  of  ourselves  to  which  we  can  only 
attach  the  same  value  that  we  do  to  a  worn-out  and 
useless  garment,  which,  having  accomplished  its 
purpose,  is  cast  aside.  As  we  become  more  enlight- 
ened we  shall  also  learn  that  it  is  possible  to  burn 
our  dead  with  the  same  reverence  and  respect  as  that 
with  which  we  now  consign  them  to  the  ravages  of 
the  worms  of  the  dust,  knowing  that  in  all  proba- 
bility future  generations  (when  the  burial-places  of 
to-day  are  lost  to  sight)  will  subsist  upon  the  vege- 
tation nourished  by  moldering  ancestors.  Aside  from 
the  question  of  health,  cremation  would  be  a  perfect 
boon  to  that  portion  of  humanity  who  are  so  consti- 
tuted that  they  must  visit  the  graves  of  their  dear 
ones  in  order  to  express  their  heart's  sorrow.  I 
would  just  as  soon  think  of  weeping  over  the  spot 
where  the  cast-off  garments  of  the  dead  were  buried 
as  to  go  to  the  cemetery,  and  in  anguish  of  soul 
linger  beside  the  spot  where  the  worn-out,  cast-off 
garment  of  a  personality  has  been  buried. 


CHAPTER  III 

DISPOSAL  OF  THE   DEAD   IN  SIAM   AND   INDIA. 

jHE  sights  of  China  prepared  me  for  anything 
I  might  see  in  other  parts  ;  therefore  I  was 
not  shocked  when  I  reached  Siam  and 
learned  that  the  poor  of  that  country,  when  dead, 
were  thrown  to  the  vultures.  A  large  place  in  one 
of  the  temple  grounds  is  set  aside  as  the  spot  to  which 
the  common  dead  are  brought.  In  company  with  a 
lady  I  drove  to  one  of  these  grounds,  but  on  entering 
a  native  told  us  the  dead  had  not  yet  been  brought. 
Because  of  the  intense  heat  it  is  a  law  that  the  dead 
must  be  disposed  of  within  twenty-four  hours  ;  and  as 
death  usually  occurs  at  night  the  early  morning  finds 
every  preparation  made  for  the  final  disposition  of  the 
body.  We  had  reached  the  grounds  a  little  early, 
but  the  time  was  profitably  spent  in  conversation  with 
a  most  intelligent  native,  who  spoke  English  very 
well.  He  conducted  us  over  the  grounds  and  through 
the  temple,  explaining  everything  of  interest.  Soon 
a  messenger  came  to  us  to  say  that  a  Chinese  had 
dropped  dead  in  the  gambling-house  over  the  way, 
and  would  soon  be  brought  in.  On  his  person  money 
enough  was  found  to  pay  for  the  wood,  and  his  re- 
mains were  to  be  cremated.     As  we  walked  toward 

the  gateway  we  saw  geyeral  men  carrying  a  rough  pine 

316 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES.  317 

box  covered  with  a  red  blanket ;  this  was  placed  to 
one  side  in  a  sheltered  spot,  and  the  men  began  prepa- 
rations for  cremation.  From  one  corner  of  the  ground 
they  brought  quantities  of  wood,  split  in  the  usual 
length  for  a  stove  ;  a  high,  long  pile  was  arranged, 
and  before  the  box  was  removed  to  the  pile,  the  na- 
tives asked  if  we  cared  to  see  the  dead  Chinaman. 
We  walked  over  to  the  box,  the  red  blanket  was  re- 
moved, and  we  saw  that  the  friendless  man  had  been 
packed  away  with  his  few  eflfects,  all  of  which  were  to 
be  consigned  to  the  fire.  The  cover  was  replaced, 
and  box,  blanket  and  all  were  lifted  upon  the  pile. 
A  match  was  touched  to  the  wood,  the  pyre  was 
wrapped  in  clouds  of  smoke,  and  long  tongues  of 
flame  soon  reduced  all  to  a  small  pile  of  ashes. 

Meantime  some  of  the  dead  Siamese  had  been 
brought  in,  having  been  carried  through  the  streets 
in  an  entirely  nude  condition  on  a  rough  plank  borne 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  natives.  To  prevent  the  re- 
mains from  falling  into  the  street,  runners  had  kept 
beside  the  plank  to  replace  a  limb  or  arm  upon  the 
board  as  it  was  jolted  from  its  resting-place  by  the 
motion  of  the  bearers.  Beside  the  spot  reserved  for 
burning  the  dead  was  a  small  square,  fenced  ofi"  by 
a  solid  brick  wall  some  four  feet  high.  Within  this 
a  still  smaller  space  was  marked  ofi"  by  a  row  of 
bricks,  and  in  the  second  inclosure  the  dead  were 
disposed  of.  Perched  on  the  fence  and  on  the  eaves 
of  the  temple  sat  a  row  of  solemn-faced  vultures, 
waiting  for  their  prey.  The  bearers  advanced  to  the 
gate  and  tossed   the  r^ipains  into  the  little  square. 


3^8  okiental  obsequies. 

In  an  instant  every  vulture  had  scented  the  dead  and 
swooped  down  to  the  spot.  In  thirty-five  minutes 
every  bone  was  picked  bare  and  no  trace  of  flesh 
remained. 

Only  the  lower  classes  and  criminals  are  disposed 
of  in  this  way.  Special  arrangements  are  made  for 
the  cremation  of  the  dead  of  the  royal  household. 
The  ceremony  is  more  like  some  festive  occasion 
than  one  of  sadness.  Large  buildings  are  erected  at 
great  cost,  and  all  the  people  are  given  up  wholly  to 
the  ceremonies.  When  the  body  has  been  reduced 
to  ashes,  a  golden  vase,  in  the  form  of  the  king's 
decoration  on  his  umbrella,  is  brought  in  and  the 
sacred  dust  deposited  in  the  vessel,  which  is  placed 
in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  palace  beside  other  vases 
containing  similar  relics  of  the  dead.  The  buildings 
are  then  torn  down,  and  the  imperial  family  put  on 
mourning  and  make  the  usual  display  of  grief. 

In  the  vast  country  of  India  the  dead  are  disposed 
of  according  to  the  religious  belief  that  prevails  in 
different  parts  of  the  country.  The  Brahmins  burn 
their  dead  in  public  places.  (This  custom  I  have 
referred  to  on  pages  231-233).  The  Mohammedans 
bury  them  and  place  a  heavy,  flat  stone  over  the  grave. 
And  the  Parsees,  the  most  intelligent  of  all  the  peo- 
ple of  Asia,  and,  I  should  say,  the  most  highly  edu- 
cated, build  great  towers,  within  which  the  dead  are 
placed,  to  be  devoured  by  the  ever-present  vulture. 

The  Parsees,  who  came  over  from  Persia  some  few 
centuries  ago,  h^ve  settled  in  great  numbers  in  the 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES.  319 

Bombay  presidency.  In  their  energy  in  carrying  on 
commercial  pursuits  they  outdo,  if  anything,  the  He- 
brew. Their  steady  application  to  business  has  made 
them  the  leaders  of  trade  in  that  presidency.  Settling 
there  in  early  days,  they  brought  with  them  the  pe- 
culiar custom  of  disposing  of  their  dead  that  had  been 
handed  down  to  them  through  all  the  centuries,  and 
probably  will  be  practiced  through  the  coming  ages. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  along  the  coast, 
without  the  city  of  Bombay,  is  the  site  of  the  Parsee 
"Towers  of  Silence."  A  very  high  stone  wall  sur- 
rounds the  entire  grounds,  which  include  some  acres ; 
the  whole  is  laid  out  like  a  beautiful  and  extensive 
park,  and  well  in  toward  the  center  stand  the  three 
towers.  Just  why  they  are  called  towers  would  be 
hard  to  say,  for  they  are  more  like  unroofed  round 
houses.  They  are  about  forty-five  feet  high,  and  per- 
haps the  same  in  diameter,  built  of  brick  and  plastered 
over  with  gray  cement.  Near  the  top,  at  one  side,  are 
two  iron  doors,  which  are  alwa3^s  locked  when  there  is 
not  a  funeral  taking  place.  About  ten  feet  from  the 
top,  on  the  inside,  fastened  to  the  wall  a  few  feet  apart, 
and  extending  in  a  slight  incline  toward  the  center,  is 
an  iron  grating,  upon  which  the  remains  are  placed. 
The  bars  meet  within  two  feet  at  the  center.  Each 
iron  bar  is  curved  toward  the  center,  forming  a  small 
channel,  down  which  all  moisture  from  the  body  is 
carried.  The  bottom  is  very  deep  and  extends  some 
hundreds  of  feet  into  the  earth.  The  oldest  tower  has 
been  in  use  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  These 
grounds  are  the  home  of  the  vultures,  and  at  any  time 


320  ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

of  the  day  and  night  they  can  be  seen  in  numbers 
perched  upon  the  top  of  the  towers  and  along  the 
edge  of  the  fence.  They  stand  perfectly  motionless, 
and  as  they  are  huddled  one  against  the  other  it  is 
easy  to  mistake  them  for  the  parapet  of  the  towers. 
Their  long,  gray  plumage,  well  dressed  and  trimmed, 
has  almost  the  effect  of  polished  stone,  and  for  a  mo- 
ment I  mistook  them  for  an  ornamental  finish  to  the 
structures. 

By  securing  a  pass  from  the  authorities  the  grounds 
may  be  visited  at  stated  hours.  The  funerals  take 
place  at  given  times,  and  no  foreigner  is  then  allowed 
in  the  grounds  ;  even  the  Parsee  women  are  excluded 
from  attendance.  One  day,  when  the  heat  was  almost 
past  endurance,  I  was  invited  to  drive  out  and  view 
the  place.  Nothing  but  my  great  desire  to  fully 
understand  the  Parsee  burial  customs  would  have 
tempted  me  from  the  house,  but  such  is  human  thirst 
after  knowledge  (to  say  nothing  of  curiosity)  that 
even  the  scorching  glare  of  old  Sol  became  a  matter 
of  little  moment.  Casting  aside  every  garment  that 
could  well  be  disposed  of,  I  borrowed  a  gentleman's 
cork  hat  to  prevent  sunstroke,  or,  as  they  say  in  that 
country,  "a  touch  of  the  sun,"  and  started  along  the 
beach  in  the  direction  of  the  "Towers  of  Silence." 
Ascending  the  steps  we  were  confronted  by  a  sign 
printed  in  the  English  language,  which  warned  us  not 
to  be  found  on  the  grounds  after  a  certain  hour.  In 
response  to  a  ring  of  the  bell,  the  porter  opened  the 
gate  ;  our  passes  were  examined,  and  we  walked  into 
t;he  corridor,  where  a  miniature  tower  was  explained 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES.  323 

by  this  chatty  individual.  We  passed  into  the 
grounds,  and  the  little  Parsee  lady  who  accompanied 
me  fairly  gasped  for  breath  as  I  hurled  handfuls  of 
interrogation-points  at  her,  and  wrote  down  her  cheer- 
ful information  in  my  note-book.  The  time  passed 
faster  than  I  had  thought ;  indeed  I  was  so  interested 
in  this  little  woman's  explanation  that  I  took  no  note 
of  time,  and  when  the  funeral  hour  came  around  we 
found  that  we  were  locked  in  the  grounds.  The  ring- 
ing of  the  bell  and  a  knock  at  the  gate  reminded 
me  that  a  funeral  procession  was  about  to  enter.  I 
did  not  know  what  the  penalty  might  be  for  this 
intrusion,  which  on  my  part  was  quite  unintentional, 
but  I  resolved  to  "  stand  ground"  and  face  it  out. 
My  friend  suggested  that  we  quietly  retreat,  and  seek 
the  entrance  by  a  less  frequented  path,  but  "  retreat  " 
does  not  figure  largely  in  my  make-up.  I  hastily 
settled  in  my  own  mind  a  plan  of  action.  From  long 
association  with  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  men,  I 
have  learned  that  a  good  way  of  escape  out  of  a  dif- 
ficulty is  to  smile  one's  way  through.  I  stepped 
toward  the  porter  with  as  much  of  a  smile  as  the 
solemnity  of  the  occasion  warranted,  and  in  penitent 
tones  expressed  my  deep  regret  at  having  transgressed 
the  law,  but  suggested  that,  as  I  was  already  in  for- 
bidden grounds,  it  would  be  much  better  to  remain  ; 
and,  placing  a  coin  in  his  hand,  I  seated  myself  where 
I  could  command  a  full  view  of  the  procession. 

Those  who  attended  the  funeral  drove  up  in  car- 
riages, but  the  remains  were  brought  through  the 
streets  on  a  bamboo  litter,  the  poles  resting  on  the 


3*54  ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES. 

shoulders  of  two  front  and  rear  bearers,  and  the  sides 
on  those  of  four  marching  between  the  front  and  rear 
men.  As  they  reached  the  steps,  the  bearers  of  the 
dead  headed  the  procession.  They  wore  long,  white 
dresses  that  fell  from  their  neck  to  the  ground,  and 
were  girded  at  the  waist  with  a  sash  of  the  same 
material.  The  fingers  of  each  hand  were  bound 
about  with  white  gauze,  and  a  mitten  of  the  same 
goods  was  pulled  over  the  hands.  This  was  to  pre- 
vent any  possible  contact  with  the  unclothed  dead,  for 
the  remains  were  only  covered  with  a  sheet.  The 
relatives  and  mourners,  some  ten  in  all,  followed  two 
abreast,  without  demonstration  of  any  kind  ;  a  coolie 
brought  up  the  rear,  leading  a  little  yellow  dog  by  a 
string.  This  strange  procession  moved  slowly  toward 
the  tower.  The  iron  doors  on  the  side  had  been 
opened  and  a  ladder  placed  before  it.  Up  this  the 
priest  made  his  way,  and  the  remains  were  handed  to 
him,  that  he  might  place  them  upon  the  grating  ;  this 
done,  the  little  yellow  dog,  which  protested  loudly, 
was  also  handed  up  and  placed  in  the  tower  for  a  few 
moments.  The  sheet  was  removed,  the  dog  handed 
down,  the  descent  of  the  priest  was  accomplished,  the 
pall-bearers  drew  from  their  fingers  the  wrappings, 
and  the  iron  doors  were  shut.  At  this  particular 
time  there  chanced  to  be  no  vultures  on  that  tower, 
but  they  had  settled  in  numbers  on  the  others  near 
by.  During  the  entire  ceremony  they  ' '  perched  and 
sat,  nothing  more, ' '  not  even  a  featner  moving  ;  but 
the  moment  they  heard  the  click  of  the  iron  door  it 
served  as  a  signal  to  call  them  to  action.     They  rose, 


ORIENTAL  OBSEQUIES.  325 

as  if  on  one  wing,  and  settled  in  the  interior  of  the 
tower.  We  remained  seated  for  about  half  an  hour, 
and  saw  the  birds  return  to  their  perch,  knowing  that 
every  atom  of  flesh  had  been  devoured,  and  the  bones 
had  fallen  from  the  grating  to  the  bottom,  some  two 
hundred  feet  below. 

When  the  dog  is  placed  in  the  tower  with  the 
remains,  his  movements  are  watched  by  the  priest. 
Should  he  go  over  and  kiss  the  face  of  the  dead,  it 
signifies  a  happy  and  eternal  repose  ;  but  failing  to 
do  this,  the  news  is  reported  to  the  family  of  the 
departed  one,  and  his  name  is  never  again  spoken 
within  the  household. 


The  End. 


Vl3 


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